Into Middle Earth
by My Life Craves Pirates
Summary: during a typical day at school,i'm suddenly knocked into a coma and awaken in Middle Earth.i encounter Aragorn,Legolas,and Gimli and decide to help out.but will i screw up the future even more than it already will be?AragornxLegolas.REVISION COMPLETE!
1. Typical Day

This is like some sort of epidemic going around,except it's only affecting me…so that's not much of an epidemic,now is it...anyway,if you have no idea what I'm talking about,I'm basically saying that my old works are really bothering me and I feel that it's necessary to rewrite them.i've already finished rewriting one story,now I'm tackling this one. With any hope, the finished product will be more satisfactory (to me and to you) than what I started with.  
**Warnings: **there will be slash,violence,and language throughout  
**Pairing:** AragornxLegolas  
**Summary:** I'm a girl in high school who's trying to pass her classes when I suddenly get knocked into a coma. While in my death-like state,I find myself on the continent of Middle Earth and meet Aragorn,Legolas,and Gimli,currently set in the second movie.i use my knowledge of the LOTR trilogy to help them through the Battle of Helms Deep,but is it enough to save them?or will I just mess up the future?  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Ring trilogy books/movies.i don't own the characters or rights to sell merchandise,which is sad...  
**Copyrights:**I DO own this story…except the characters, which belonging to J.R.R. Tolkien. But I own this story, and as such,stealing is a no-no. In fact…  
**"Into Middle Earth" © My Life Craves Pirates 2007-2009**

**Into Middle Earth**  
**by My Life Craves Pirates**

**Chapter 1:typical day**

I don't exactly consider myself to be a normal girl. I'm not like those girls in the TV commercials or on the backs of manga books who claim that the main protagonist is a "normal girl whom stuff happens to blah blah blah kissy romance blah." Nah, the only kiss I've gotten was from a guy three years older than me, whom I'd never met before **(1)**. No, I'm definitely not normal. And I'd thank god for that, if I weren't such a blasphemous nihilist. And frankly, I don't exactly _want_ weird crap happening to me. I have enough to deal with as it is. My biology grade is currently suffering with a B-, and I'm struggling to get it up to a B or something like that so I can get into physics honors next year. All my other classes are great though, I've got A's in those. Damn biology. Maybe I should start listening to the teacher more often.

And then there's band. I'm in my school's marching band (which kicks ass), and I must say, as wonderful as that is, it has pretty much _consumed_ my life. I've had so many rehearsals and competitions and football games lately, and my director works us so hard that I don't even know how I've been able to survive these past few months. The worst that's happened to me so far is that my hair's been falling out.

The only thing in my life that I consider to be normal would be going to school. I'm a sophomore in high school, and thankful to be so. Now I don't get picked on for being a freshman anymore, though I do still worry about being pummeled by upperclassmen. Maybe even _hit on_ by upperclassmen. No biggie. If they try to make indecent advances on me, I can always do something like beat them across the head with my baritone or saxophone if I happen to have them with me at the time. That's probably unlikely to happen, so I'll just beat them on the head with my textbook, and depending on what class they're for, they can be quite heavy.

I walked out of my morning band class, slinging my backpack over my shoulders and headed to the cafeteria to meet with my friends. I spotted them across the room and headed over to them as they started waving at me and screaming my name.

"Kendra, Kendra, guess what!" Charlotte squealed, shaking my shoulders and brandishing a spiral notebook at me.

"Chicken butt?" I answered, glancing over her and spotting Jackie and her friends at the other end of the table.

"Nope!" she said. "I finished writing my story!" Charlotte had been writing original stories to pass the time and had tried to keep them away from me to avoid my pointy criticism.

"Kickass," I said. "Can I read it?"

"Nope," she answered, pulling the notebook away from me. "I don't need your 'constructive criticism', Kennie. If I need criticism, I'll talk to Lanna."

"That hurts, girl," I said, making a sad face at her. "But seriously, I can help you. I'm an english major, I do nothing _but_ write stories, and I'm a grammar bitch, really. I can help. If you want, I'll keep my 'constructive criticism' to myself and won't make fun of you. Or whatever." Charlotte thought for a moment, still keeping the notebook out of my reach.

"Fine, I'll let you read it," she said, handing it to me. "But make sure that you keep your promise."

"You have my word as a sexy asian beast," I said, taking it. "I'll read it during english. Maybe I can soak up some pointers from the teacher and apply them to your story."

"KENNIE!"

"Huh? OH HOLY CRAP." My friend Brittany suddenly jumped me from behind while I screamed "I'M BEING RAPED!" at the top of my lungs. I know she's not going to do anything like that to me (she's too short XD), and it's all in good humor. They know I'm kidding, and I love them for it.

"Hey, where_ is_ Lanna anyway?" Jason asked. Jason's a Naruto fan who started hanging out with us at the beginning of our freshman year, mainly because he had no other friends. He overheard Brittany and Gigi talking about Naruto and decided to engage in conversation. He hasn't gone away since.

"She never shows up in the morning," I said. "She always shows up at either break or lunch. You know that." Jason was never really my favorite person in our little group of friends, since last year, he went out with Jackie _and_ Lanna, both of whom are _very_ close to me. He's a lightning rod for various insults and attacks, but he still never leaves. Although we _did_ tone down the insults after his little sister died and we all decided it would be nice of us to be supportive to him. (AN:true stuff.)

"I guess so," Jason replied, turning his attention back to his French homework. This was typical of him: putting his homework off until the morning before it's due. Charlotte, who also takes French, had refused to help him with his homework anymore than she already had.

"You need to get yourself organized, boy," Brittany said, slapping Jason across the back of the head. "See, I did all my Spanish homework in class. And now I'm set! And even Kennie, being the lazy ass she is, did _her_ homework last night…I think."

"Of _course_ I did my homework," I said, giving her an insulted look. "I for one, would actually _like_ to pass my classes."

"Which you are," said Sasha. I jumped. She had been standing behind me for quite some time, and I hadn't even noticed. "Someone needs to explain to you that a B- is still a passing grade."

"I _know_ a B- is passing," I said, "but I'd have straight A's again if I can just raise my biology grade, damnit!"

"Be thankful you at least have a B, Kendra," Jason said. "Look at me! I'm _failing_ all of _my_ classes."

"That's 'cause you're a dumbass," Brittany said. "Shut up and do your homework, you have like, five minutes until the bell rings." I glanced at the clock, and in doing so, I saw Kayla walk into the cafeteria. She saw me and walked over to us.

"Uugghh…" she groaned, dumping her binder onto the table.

"What's up?" Charlotte asked. I started pulling necklaces and earrings out of my backpack. I usually don't have time to accessorize myself in the morning, since I usually sleep through my alarm and find that I have ten minutes to get ready and go to band when I wake up. So I'll just grab a handful of accessories and throw them in my backpack and put them on when I have the time, which is usually before school starts.

"I'm failing health," Kayla said.

"_Health_?" I exclaimed. "That's the easiest class ever! I had an A-plus in that class for the majority of the term. Then I started doing really shitty on the tests so my grade dropped down to an A. Lanna managed to keep an A-plus though. You're even more of a dumbass than Jason."

"Hey, I take that personally!" Jason said, pointing his pencil at me.

"If you're not used to it by now, you never will be," I said. "Shut up."

"I know, seriously Jason," Charlotte said, crossing her arms.

"You and Lanna are just smarter than me," Kayla said.

"That's not true," Charlotte said. "_You're_ smarter than_ me_."

"_That's_ not true!" Kayla said.

"Shut up, both of you!" I said. "Everyone knows we're all stupid idiots, especially Jason. No one's smarter than anyone."

"Except Jason," Brittany said.

"That's a given," I said. Jason gave us a hurt look. I waved it off as the bell rang. "Well, I'm off. I shall read your story and give you my amazing english-major advice when I see you again."

"I look forward to it," Charlotte said, sarcastically. I stuffed her notebook into my bag and slung it over my shoulder as I walked with my friends out the cafeteria door. I walked as far as I could with them across the school campus before we had to depart to our respective classes.

I normally enjoy English class, but today seemed rather tedious. I kept my word to Charlotte and read her story during class. The teacher's lecture didn't help my critique very much. All we did was read a story out of our literature book and evaluate and dissect it, picking apart the themes and plots and symbolism and crap. I _really _tuned her out when she separated us into groups to construct a plot diagram of the story.

"The hell are you doing, Kendra?" one of my groupmates inquired. "You're supposed to be helping us with the diagram."

"I'm reading," I replied. "But I'm sure you're perfectly capable of handling the diagram without me, or does your primitive monkey brain impair your sense of knowledge?" I snatched his red pen from him and scribbled some criticism in the margin of Charlotte's story.

"Come on, Kendra, you're supposed to be helping us," another groupmate sighed. "You can read later."

"I could," I said. "But do I chose to? Nope."

"But—."

"Oh come on!" I said, throwing down the notebook. "Have you people been paying attention to the teacher at _all_? The plot is the easiest thing to determine from this story! Doodle's a retard, he likes playing with the narrator, they see the ibis, it dies, Doodle dies, THE END. The ibis is symbolic of Doodle's attempts to make it in the world, and its scarlet color is symbolic of his blood! _Honestly_." **(2) **I continued to scribble in the notebook. My groupmates decided to give up on me and constructed the diagram without my help.

Charlotte's style of writing is pretty much how I used to write when I was like, ten. It was a good story, but I figured that if she used more character interaction and constructive action, then it could be longer, and better. As I stuffed my things into my backpack, I contemplated how I was going to tell that to her without her yelling at me for being a nasty bitch.

The bell rang and I headed to our hang out spot. I was promptly attacked by Charlotte.

"So?" she said. "How was it? Was it good? Did you like it? Can I have it back now?" I pulled the notebook out of my backpack.

"Aaahhhh…here's the thing," I said. "I'm not going to say anything."

"Oh good."

"Instead, I wrote in your book."

"Oh great."

"You can't get mad at me, 'cause this is all legitimate and constructive crap that'll help you write like a pro. Like me!" I beamed. She glared at me as she skimmed the pages.

"You wrote in _red_?" she said. "It looks like you bled all over my book! Am I really that bad?"

"Nooooo…" I said. "Far from it, dear. Some of the bleeding is me commenting on good stuff. But would you like a tip?"

"…I guess."

"Use grammar. _A lot_ of grammar," I said. "And have the characters interact more. That'll make your story longer."

"Kendra, you're such a horrible, pointy, 'constructive criticism' choked buttface!" she said, snatching the notebook from me. "…But I appreciate it."

"…I'm confused."

"You'll get over it," she said, patting me on the shoulder. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and headed off to her next class. I stared after her for a while.

"Did anyone see that?" I said. Everyone else kinda just shrugged at me as Lanna appeared. She was promptly attacked by several of my friends before I had a chance to say hi to her, even though I was standing closest to her. I pushed my way through the hoard of people to get to my best friend.

"You didn't happen to hear Charlotte yelling at me again, did you?" I inquired. Lanna threw her backpack down.

"What'd you do this time," she sighed.

"_Nothing!_" I exclaimed. "She asked me to evaluate her story, so I did…and just wrote in the margin a bit…a lot...in red ink."

"And did she get all defensive again but in the end acted like she really loved you for doing it even though you probably scarred her writing ego?" Lanna asked.

"Exactly," I answered.

"Yeah, she does the same thing when she asks me if her drawings are good," Lanna said. "She makes me scared to answer her when she asks me if it's good." She spotted Jason sitting down to do his geography homework. He waved at her. Lanna enthusiastically waved back.

"Do your homework!" Brittany yelled, jabbing her finger in Jason's face.

"Kendra, can I move your backpack?" Kayla asked. I shrugged. She lifted up my backpack, but suddenly dropped it. "That's _heavy_! What's in there? Another dead body?"

"No, I keep those in my freezer," I said. "But anyway, I've got a bunch of books in there. Check it out…" I opened up my bag and started pulling out notebooks and library books.

"And _when_ do you have time to read during school?" Sasha asked.

"I find time," I answered. "But I've really gotten back in to 'Lord of the Rings'. I read the trilogy back in like, seventh grade and felt like reading them again. So there you go." The bell rang, and we exchanged our good-byes.

An hour-forty later, we were all reunited in the cafeteria, back with fresh news of torture from our latest class. I had just gotten back from Algebra II. We had gone over our test from yesterday, and since I got an A-minus on the test, I had found the time to doodle on my body. This is a common time killer for me when I'm totally bored. The teacher will just be droning on and I'll be sittin' there with a pen drawing random designs on the back of my hand, around my ankles, or wherever I see fit. My friends and classmates aren't surprised to see me doing this anymore, since I've done it so much. They've come to expect it from me.

"I got an A on my Spanish test," Brittany proudly announced.

"That's cool," Charlotte said. "What about you, Kennie? How are you doing in Chinese?"

"I'm doin' kickass," I said. "I can sleep in that class all I want and still get an A on all the tests."**(3)**

"You're real smooth like that," Kayla said, nodding.

"Totally," I said. "Hey, I'm gonna ditch you guys now, is that cool?"

"Yeah, whatever," Lanna said. "Are you going to go hang out with your _boyfriend_?"

"He's my model, not my boyfriend," I said, kicking open the cafeteria door. "Whatever." During our freshman year, I had asked Jake to be my artistry model. I told him that all he had to do was take off his shirt and stand there so I could draw him, just to get a better understanding of the male anatomy without having to resort to _porn_ or something. He was all excited at first: he let himself get conceited and blamed his stupid faults on the fact that "models aren't very smart." But recently, he started backing out on me.

"I told you, just the idea of taking off my shirt and posing is…_weird_," Jake said.

"Oh come on!" I said. "Do you remember how giddy you were when I asked you? What the hell's the problem _now_? Just suck it up and take it like a man!" He fidgeted and looked around.

"Hey guys, how's WOW?" he said. His group of friends turned around and walked over to us.

"Do you need us to save you from her?" Ed asked him.

"Nah, I'm good, she's not _that_ deadly," Jake said.

"Don't be so sure," I said, bitterly. "Think about it." I hauled my backpack over my shoulder and dragged him off to our next class.

I spent my biology time trying to add to the design on the back of my hand that I had started during Algebra. Unfortunately, my handiwork was spent poking around through amphibian innards and resisting the urge to throw a handful of frog guts at Jake for being a jackass. I thoroughly washed my hands with soap and water, but I still could not get the pungent odor of frog off my hands. School grade soap sucks.

I went to marching band that day praying that no one would notice the Essence of Frog being emitted from my hands. I saw that a few people standing around me noticed, but no one pressed the matter further. I spent the next ten minutes in the girls' restroom scrubbing my hands with a mouthpiece brush.

When I re-emerged in the band room, I was approached by my band director.

"Kendra, I've got bad news," he said. "Your sax is in the shop, and the other tenor saxes are broken."

"So I don't have a horn?" I muttered.

"Yeah," he said. "We'll try to set you up with one next week. So for today you can still march basics and the show, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine," I sighed. I grabbed my dot book and a bottle of water and started to walk out the door to the practice field, following our tuba player when I heard someone from my section call my name just as someone called out to the tubaist. We both turned around sharply. I didn't have time to see who called to me, and I didn't get to march that day, because when tubaist turned, her horn collided sharply with the back of my head. I felt myself falling forward, and then…

Black.

End chapter 1

I've always wanted to die in a band-related accident. : D  
**(1) **I was at a band party,and the guy was one of my host's friends. One of my bandmates dared me to kiss him,and since I didn't kiss the other guy I was earlier dared to kiss,I did.i'm not a slut. Really.  
**(2)** the story I'm describing is a story I read in my freshman english class called "The Scarlet Ibis".hope I didn't spoil it for anyone XD  
**(3)** my school recently added two new languages to our foreign ciriculum. In addition to Spanish and French,we now have Chinese and American Sign Language.i'm already part Chinese,so I pwned that class.  
and is My Life Craves Pirates really a blasphemous nihilist?I'll let you decide. Is she really a sexy asian beast?hells yes.  
review please.


	2. Middle Earth

The original Chapter 2 introduced the main plot, where the main protagonist (me) wakes up and finds herself in Middle Earth. so naturally, I intend to keep it that way. i'm kinda picking apart the original version while at the same time, totally making this up as I go. so bear with me.  
**Disclaimers and copyrights: **go see the first chapter.  
**Reviews and criticism: **always welcomed. now, I haven't seen/read LOTR in a while, so there's a good chance that I might be leaving some stuff out throughout the story, aside from the hot AxL action. so please tell me if I leave out any important events and whatnot.

**Chapter 2:middle earth**

I found that waking up was rather difficult today. When I came to, I found myself lying facedown on what felt like a pile of damp leaves. I managed to crack open my eyes, but my vision was still blurry and I couldn't make out my surroundings. The moisture on the leaves was collecting onto my clothes and the cool temperature of the air didn't help my lack of a shirt with sleeves. The leaves were quickly becoming uncomfortable, so I tried to lift myself up.

Apparently going at a slow pace wasn't slow enough, and I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck that raced up the back of my skull. I gasped harshly and dropped back down. Ignoring the pain, I reached behind my head and felt around the nape of my neck. I could feel a large lump at the base of my skull, and my hair seemed to be matted with blood.

_What the bloody hell?_

I brought my hand back in front of my face as I feebly opened my eyes again. The blood had long since dried into my hair, so not much of it came off on my hand. I still had no idea where the lump on my head came from, and for some reason, I couldn't remember what had happened or why I was _here_ of all places. I breathed deeply.

Frog.

My eyes flew open. I remembered now! I was in school, Charlotte had me evaluate her story, we cut up some frogs in biology class, and I went to band practice. I was behind the tuba person, and then…

I find myself here.

_Damn, am I in a __coma_? I thought. _I'm bloody surprised I'm not __dead_.

Well, whatever's happening, I'm still in excruciating pain and I can't move. Great, so now what? Are some wolves going to come along and eat me, or are they just going to wait till I die?

Voices. Now I hear voices. They sounded far off, but with every second I waited, they seemed to be drawing nearer. I lifted my head slightly and caught three figures walking towards me. Apparently they haven't seen me yet. I prayed that they would see me. And then—

The footsteps stopped. The voices stopped.

"Don't move closer to it," a barely audible voice said. "I'm going to take a closer look." A single pair of footsteps started up again, cautiously shuffling their way towards me. I have to admit, this isn't exactly the reaction I was expecting.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I tried opening my eyes again. My vision was less blurry and I could make out a male form. His two companions were waiting several yards behind him, but one of them, the taller one, seemed to be moving closer as well.

"I think she's alive," the man closest to me said.

"Your voice sounds familiar…" I breathed. He glanced at me before turning his attention back to his companions.

"She seems to be a Man of female origin, but this is beyond anything I've ever seen before," he said. "Look at her clothes. I don't regognize this material." He was fingering my jeans now.

"I don't think it'd be proper to just leave her out here," said the tall man.

"Is it dangerous?" the shorter man inquired, weilding a weapon of some sort.

"I don't think so," said the man touching me. "Look at this." His hand moved to the back of my head. "It looks as though she's been attacked."

"Tuba…" I muttered. The three of them looked at me. "Darkness…then here…I'm cold. Where am I?"

"Here…" He helped me to sit up and leaned me against a nearby tree. I could see now. I was in a forest of some sort and I rolled my head in the general direction of the three men. Blurry still, but I immediately recognized them the instant my sight was brought back in to focus.

"Aragorn…?" He hunched his eyebrows thoughtfully.

"Yes," he said. "How did you know?" I closed my eyes and rolled my head around.

"Legolas and Gimli," I said quietly. "They're here?" Aragorn looked back to the other two men.

"Yes," he said. I gasped harshly and grabbed at my arms, shivering. "Here." Aragorn pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around me. I could feel the warmth returning already.

"Thank you," I said. This all seemed a bit…_unrealistic_. I suspect myself of being in a coma, and now I find myself in the depths of Middle Earth being rescued by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli? Maybe this is me going crazy, or halucinating or something. This is all too confusing. But hey, I might as well make good use of it while I'm here.

"Now, how do you know our names?" Aragorn pressed. I rolled my head around again.

"Movie…" I groaned. "Need water…"

"We're not going to get anywhere sitting in an Orc infested forest, Aragorn," Gimli insisted.

"We best set up camp and rest for the night," Legolas added. "Maybe we can get some answers out of _her_."

"Agreed," Aragorn said. He wriggled his hands behind my back and under my legs and lifted me up. This sudden movement was not easy on my body and I could feel pain again. I felt drowsy suddenly, and I closed my eyes.

I passed out.

**.xXx.**

When I came to, I found myself lying on my back in a cave of some sort. I was lying by a fire, and as I started to move around, I found that Aragorn's cloak was still covering me. I stayed where I was for a minute to gather myself. I'm not exactly sure how I ended up here in this cave. Last I remember, I was on the verge of death in the middle of a forest.

"Ah, awake are you?" I looked up. Aragorn walked in to the cave carrying an armfull of dead branches, evidently for firewood.

"What happened?" I muttered.

"You passed out," Aragorn answered. "Conveniently before we had a chance to question you." He threw down the stack of branches beside the fire. "We weren't sure if you were dangerous or not, so we took the liberty of disarming you."

"Disarm me?" I repeated. "I don't have anything…" I searched my pockets. They were empty.

"Now, what manner of weapon is this?" Aragorn asked, holding up a small grey device. I struggled to sit up.

"That's my cell phone, darling," I said weakly. "Though I can guarentee you it doesn't work here, wherever I am. I'd like to have that back, please." I reached for it, but he pulled it out of my reach.

"I'm unfamiliar with such a device," he said. "So you'll have to earn my trust first before you can get this back."

"Look, if you'll just hand it to me, I can show you what it does," I said, still reaching for the phone. "If you don't entirely trust me as of right now, you can have your sword out and kill me or maim me whenever you feel necessary. Deal?" Aragorn thought for a moment, before handing me my phone. He didn't immediately arm himself as I gave him permission to, but rather he had placed his hand on the hilt of a knife and watched me, at the ready.

"See, this is called a cell phone," I said, flipping it open. "Back where I come from, we use it to talk to people far away, people we can't see. Every one of these devices has it's own seven-digit number that we dial into this keypad here so that we can talk to other people."

"That's quite an intriguing device, my lady," Aragorn said. "Where _are_ you from? Gondor? Rohan?"

"Nah," I scoffed. "Well, that depends. What year is this?"

"1418, I believe," he replied. I stared at him.

"Really," I said. "Well then, my time is about oh say, more than five hundred years from now."

"I don't see how that's possible," Aragorn said. "How did you get here?"

"I suspect that I'm dead," I said. "Or…_almost_ dead. See, back in my world, I was getting ready for band practice when I think I was hit in the head with a tuba. I'm quite possibly in a coma and this is just a part of my hallucinatory death phase. You guys are _big_ back where I come from. No joke."

"That's what I've been meaning to ask you," Aragorn said. "Before you passed out, you mentioned our names and something about a movie. What is this movie, and how do you know us?"

"Okay see," I said. "A movie is just a bunch of really fast moving pictures. There's a trilogy of movies called 'The Lord of the Ring' which features you three, the hobbits, Gandalf, and a bunch of other people that you still have yet to meet. I worship the trilogy, I have them mostly memorized, and I know what will happen in the future. Get it?" Aragorn stared at me, trying to comprehend what I was saying.

"Not exactly," he said. "But what you're saying is that, we are in this movie that you speak of?"

"Pretty much," I answered. "And based on the surroundings and point in time, I will be able to determine _which_ of the three movies we are currently in and I will be able to help you avoid big nasty problems in the future so that you can get yourselves to the hobbits faster. Now, judging by the fact that I do not see Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, Treebeard, or Isengard anywhere, I'd say we're not in the third movie. Have you reunited with Gandalf yet?" Aragorn looked thoroughly confused.

"Gandalf was pulled into the shadows by the Balrog, what are you talking about?" he said.

"I'll take that as a no," I said. "Second question: where is Boromir?"

"Boromir was slain by the Orcs," he replied. "How do you kn—."

"We're in the beginning of Movie 2, Aragorn," I said. "I can help you avoid crap in the future, but you have to trust me. I know what's going to happen." Aragorn looked like he was about to say something, but was cut short as Gimli appeared, closely followed by Legolas carrying three skins of water.

"I see she's awake," Legolas said, setting them down.

"Has she talked yet?" Gimli inquired.

"Indeed she has," Aragorn replied. "She's not from here, and apparently, back where she comes from, _everyone_ knows us. This…knowledge has given her the power to see into the future. She claims that she knows what will happen, and has already hinted to us that we will reunite with Gandalf and the hobbits." Legolas and Gimli stared at me.

"What's your name?" Legolas said.

"Huh? Oh," I said. "My name's Kendra."

"So, Kendra," Legolas said. "If you truly know what will happen in the future, where do we go from here?" I held up my hand.

"Food and rest first," I said. "I'm weak and hungry, and before we go off adventuring some more, I need to assure myself that I can walk under my own strength without passing out again. Once we eat and get ourselves a good night's rest, I promise I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"In that case, I suppose I'll go out and catch something then?" Legolas inquired.

"That would be best," Aragorn replied. Legolas left the cave, slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder. Aragorn turned his attention back to me.

"Now then, will you at least tell us where we are to go next?" he said. I took a gulp of water from one of the water skins.

"Fangorn Forest."

End Chapter 2

Next chapter will clarify more, though I still don't know what's going to be _in_ chapter 3. the original chapter contained mainly dialogue between kendra and aragorn, having a verbal battle about her name and how retarded I made it sound. i'll work something out, I guess.  
I intend to watch "two towers" over the weekend so that I can accurately summarize the events for the main purpose of the next few chapters.  
I do very so hope that this chapter satisfied the lack of plot in the original text. please review and give me any pointers that you may have.


	3. Mapquest

Truckin' right along,we've got the revision of the third chapter here.the original chapter 3 was a battle between kendra and aragorn about her retarded fake-japanese name,and then they killed an orc.the whole chapter complete with a post-chapter AN was not even a page long,so I intend to fix that.  
**Dislaimers:**don't own LOTR 1-3,blah blah.  
**Copyrights:**see chapter 1

**Chapter 3:mapquest**

Aragorn scrutinized me for a while, trying to soak in what I had just said. Gimli himself seemed a bit confused.

"What in god's name would we want to go _there _for?" he said.

"Merry and Pippin are there," I answered.

"The hobbits?" Legolas inquired. "But how did they end up in Fangorn Forest? And where are Frodo and Sam?" I held up my hand.

"I'm uncertain at this point if I really should be telling you what happens," I said. "I might crap up the future even more so than it already will be. I can tell you why Merry and Pippin are in Fangorn Forest, and I can tell you where Frodo and Sam are, but in doing so, I risk altering the future. And that's never a good thing."

"From what you're telling us, I only see an advantage," Aragorn said. "Your knowledge might give us the power to avoid casualties later on. _That's _a good thing."

"Too true," I said. "But consider this: what if avoiding casualties upraises _more_ casualties? Those problems are beyond my knowledge and thus I cannot help you to solve them. But if you really want my help, just say the word." Aragorn looked back to his comrades. I had made my point, and although I wasn't sure if what I had just said accurate or not, it had given them a lot to think about.

It took the three of them several moments to think the situation over, and I used this time to rest up and nourish myself. We had plenty of water at the moment, but it seems that we are in lack of food. I lifted my eyes up to the three men in front of me and wondered if they were going to do anything about it.

"We've made a decision," Aragorn said, turning back to me.

"Oh really, I'd like to hear it," I said, setting the water skin down.

"We think it would be in best interest if we used your knowledge to our advantage," Legolas said. I leaned back against the cave wall and closed my eyes.

"All right then," I said. "I'll help you. But as I said before, I'm not going to share anything until we eat something and get a good night's rest. 'Cause I don't think I'm going to be of much use to you if I can't move."

"Take as much time as you need," Aragorn said. "Gimli, Legolas. If you'll kindly go out and bring back something to eat, I would be much obliged. I will stay here with Lady Kendra." Legolas nodded and he and Gimli headed out of the cave and into the forest.

"Oh, and as long as we're stuck on this journey together, please don't call me 'Lady'," I said. "It makes me feel weird." Aragorn hunched his eyebrows questioningly. "You don't even have to call me Kendra. If you'd rather, you can just call me Kennie, or Ken. I don't mind. That's what my friends call me." He leaned up against the opposite wall.

"All right then," he said. "Kennie it is." Still slumped up against the wall, I flipped open my cell phone. I had great reception, so I tried to call Charlotte. I didn't get a call tone, I didn't even get an answering message. Instead I got static.

Very loud static.

"GODDAMN!" I shouted, wrenching the cell phone away from my ear and slamming it shut. I glanced across the cave to Aragorn as I stuffed my phone back into my pants pocket. He stared at me quizzically, and opened his mouth to say something, but I intervened.

"My phone doesn't work here," I said quickly. "Looks like I'm going to be stuck here for a while." He closed his mouth and nodded understandingly, though I had a feeling that he did not, in fact, understand at all.

My head was throbbing now, and I decided that in retrospect, it had not been the best idea to shout at my phone. I clasped one hand onto the lump at the base of my skull, while the other hand gripped tightly onto my knee. And while I was unaware of it, I could barely feel my nails digging into my leg.

I did not have to open my eyes and look at him to know that Aragorn had a hard look of concern on his face. He had no reason to; we barely know each other.

"You didn't have to stay here with me," I said finally, resting my hands in my lap, but still keeping my eyes closed. "I would have been fine on my own." Aragorn fed a stick into the diminishing fire.

"La—Uh, Kendra," he said, "you seem like a bright young lady, but you still remain unaware of the creatures that lurk around these parts. If anything happened to you, then we would not be able to safely find our way to Mordor. I assume you _do_ know where Mordor is." I shook my head feebly.

"No," I said. "If I had just brought my book with me to practice—." My eyes flew open. "That's it! The book!" I struggled to stand up. Aragorn was quick, quicker than I thought, and in seconds he was upon me, trying to force me to sit down again.

"Kendra, you're in no condition to be moving at this time," he said. I tried to push him off of me.

"Look, _Strider_," I said, "we've got to go back into that forest. I have a map of Middle Earth in my backpack, and if by some extraordinary stroke of luck that my backpack ended up here with me, then we should be able to find our way there while avoiding a lot of other nasty crap." Aragorn's eyes widened in surprise to my knowledge of his nickname.

"All right then," he said. "I'll go look for this bag of yours, but you stay—."

"No!" I said. "I have to go with you. All I need is the map. If it so happens that I never wake up from this coma again, then nothing else in that bag matters. Let me come with you." He contemplated the situation long and hard. It took him a while to decide, but when he did, he ended up pulling my arm over his shoulder and lifting me up and helping me to walk out of the cave.

He traced our steps back to the spot where he had found me, lying on the ground on the brink of death. My body had left a barely visible imprint on the damp leaves covering the forest ground. I looked around but I could not see my backpack anywhere.

"Let's move over this way some more," I said, pointing weakly ahead. Aragorn half-dragged half-carried me over in the direction I had indicated. Nothing.

I was about to give up and instruct him to take me back to the cave when I spotted it. My blue backpack, stuffed full of books, was leaning against a moderately sized rock. It was behind the rock, as my backpack would have been behind my baritone case back in the 21st century. I was barely able to see it from over the top of the rock.

"There it is!" I said. Aragorn swung his head around and spotted the blue bag sticking out from behind the rock. He led me over to the stone and laid me down on the ground. I dragged my backpack towards myself and wrenched open the zipper. The amount of books I had stuffed inside the cavity seemed to burst open the zipper for me. I dug through its contents and I finally managed to pull out _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_. I had no intention of bringing the book with me; skimming the pages for events would take far too long. But rather I opened the back cover and found what I was looking for: a map of Middle Earth was glued to the inside back cover of the book. I yanked the map free of the book. I tossed the book onto my backpack and unfolded the map and splayed it across the ground so that Aragorn could see.

"Right," I said. "Where are we then?" Aragorn's sharp eyes scanned the map, tracing his grimy finger over rivers and mountains while muttering silently to himself.

"Here," he said, stopping his finger on a location on the map. I leaned forward to see where he was pointing. According to Aragorn, we were currently located. We were a few miles north of the Glanduin River. Using the scale, I determined that we were approximately a hundred miles north of the border of Fangorn Forest. I was slightly sad to see Rivendell so far north of us; I would have liked to visit the elves.

"We're a hundred miles north of Fangorn," I said. "How many day's travel is that?"

"About two or three," Aragorn replied. He sat back. "Now, let me ask you this: is it absolutely necessary to go into Fangorn Forest?"

"Absolutely," I replied. "While we won't run into Merry and Pippin until we reach Isengard—," I pointed to the spot on the map labeled Isengard, "—We _will_ reunite with Gandalf. And Gandalf is crucial to the rest of our journey to Mordor." I pointed to the mass at the bottom corner of the map labeled Mordor. "Now then, we should probably be heading back to the cave. Legolas and Gimli might have already returned." I folded the map and stuffed it in my pocket.

"Would you like to take your bag with you?" Aragorn inquired. "We may be able to use it for carrying supplies."

"Excellent idea," I said. I shuffled through my backpack in search of anything else that might be of use.

"Where exactly will we be restocking on supplies?" Aragorn asked. "Isengard?"

"Oh no," I said. "Isengard is merely where we rest. Sauron is in Isengard right now. Merry and Pippin will later team up with the Ents and destroy Isengard. We don't really settle down and get more supplies until we reach Rohan." I emptied the contents of my bag onto the forest floor. My binder, homework, art portfolio, textbooks, and sheet music. Useless.

"All right, let's go," I said, pulling the empty backpack over my shoulder. Aragorn lifted my arm over his neck once again, and we were off towards the cave.

Legolas and Gimli had indeed already returned by the time Aragorn and I reached the cave. Two dead rabbits were lying by the fire, holes made by Legolas's arrows were still visible in the head of one, and the neck of the other.

"Where have you been?" Legolas said, standing up as soon as he saw us.

"We went to get this," I said, pulling the map out of my pocket and throwing it to him. The elf unfolded it and studied it.

"Where did you get this?" Legolas asked.

"This is terrific!" Gimli said, glancing at it over Legolas's arms.

"I found it," I said simply. I nodded towards the rabbits. "What's the haul?" Legolas handed the map to Gimli and stooped, grabbing the rabbits by the ears and holding them up.

"Look Aragorn!" he said, his voice brimming with excitement. "Two of them! This should be able to feed the four of us for two days!"

"Good," Aragorn said, releasing me to the floor and clasping his hand on Legolas's shoulder. "Let's eat quickly and go to sleep; I'll stand watch for the night. But we need to get a good rest. We've got a few day's journey ahead of us."

"Oh?" Legolas said as he sat down, a knife in one hand and a rabbit in the other. "Where are we headed first?"

"Fangorn Forest," Aragorn said. "Where we will meet up with Gandalf again."

"Gandalf?" Gimli said. Aragorn nodded.

"That's right," I said, leaning against the cave wall again. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." I reached for one of the water skins. "We're about three or four miles north of the Glanduin River, where we'll be able to stock up on water. From there we will continue on to Fangorn." Aragorn nodded towards the others.

"You heard her," he said, taking hold of his own knife and the other rabbit. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's make quick work of our stay."

While Aragorn and Legolas skinned and cooked the rabbits, the four of us shared stories amongst ourselves. The three of them seemed very intrigued by stories: tales of iPods and cars, and the most interesting of all, semi-automatic guns.

"With say two gattling guns, you could wipe out a whole _army_ of Orcs, no sweat," I said.

"That could have been useful a few days ago," Legolas muttered to Aragorn. Instantly I knew that they were talking of Boromir. Again I wished I had arrived here earlier to have gotten the chance to meet not only the elves, but Boromir as well. If I had arrived here sooner, I might have been able to save him.

"—Speak of?" Aragorn said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Come again?" I said hastily.

"I said, what is this car that you speak of?" Aragorn said, glancing back at me.

"Oh," I said. "Well, think of it like an oliphaunt. Except it's a lot smaller, and it moves a lot faster. And you can fit people inside of it! If we had a car (and I knew how to drive), then our trip to Fangorn would take mere hours instead of days."

"Fascinating…" Aragorn muttered, smiling to himself. "Here." He tossed me a chunk of rabbit meat that he had cooked while we were all talking. He had divided one rabbit's worth of meat into four equal portions and handed one to Legolas and Gimli as well.

"Thanks," I said. "You can just put the other one in my bag. Here." I handed him my backpack, unzipping it for him in the process. "Just put whatever you want in there, it'll be fine." As I ate ravenously from the meat he had provided me with, I briefly watched Aragorn fitting the other rabbit and the three water skins into my backpack. He decided to keep the map with himself in the event that we should need to get it out quickly. I had the feeling that my backpack would be getting far heavier once we depart from Rohan.

We finished the meat and shared water from one of the skins, preserving the other two for until we reached the river.

"Normally I'd suggest that we head on to Glanduin River; it's only a few hours walk," Aragorn said. "But I feel that Kendra would be much stronger if we rest for the night and then continue on in the morning. Her health is crucial to the outcome of our journey. We will rest for the night."

"That seems best," Legolas said. "Would you like me to keep watch with you?" Aragorn bit his lip and glanced at me.

"No, you rest up as well," he said. "If I feel that I need to rest, then I will awaken you and you can take watch for the rest of the night."

"All right," Legolas said. He extinguished the fire, and the cave plunged into darkness. Aragorn permitted me to use his cloak as a blanket during the night. He sat himself at the mouth of the cave, while the rest of us found comfortable spots on the ground to sleep. I myself was bundled up beside the warm embers of the dead fire. Already I could feel my strength returning, but I was still exhausted. I feel into a deep sleep, my head full of excitement for what lay ahead.

End Chapter 3

ha!hints of slash!  
And I actually DO have a book and a map like that.it's pretty awesome.  
The backpack suddenly appearing in the middle of the forest,does seem a bit unlikely,but hey.when you're in a coma anything can happen.  
…not that I know from personal experience…  
I'm rather surprised.the old chapter 3 was barely even a page long.and somehow I managed to stretch it out to three and a half pages.how awesome am I?  
Very.  
So appreciate the story,if you will,and be so kind as to criticism and comments are always welcome.thank you all!


	4. Swordquest

Ooo there's man slash in this chapter!and isn't that what we all came here for?  
Of course it is.  
AND I get to chop things up in this chapter!this should prove rather interesting.  
**Disclaimers and copyrights:**I don't own lord of the rings 1-3,which I find rather sad.however,I do own this story,so stealing is a big time no-no.

**Chapter 4:swordquest**

I didn't wake up until late morning the next day. I knew I was already much stronger than yesterday because I could open my eyes without throwing up. I tested my limbs and found that I could move my arms and legs with ease, although they were still pretty stiff from lack of use ever since I arrived here. I'd have to do some yoga later to get the blood flowing again.

I was about to sit up when I heard my three companions talking by the mouth of the cave. I figured they had been awake for quite some time now and was probably the reason I woke up. I decided that I little eavesdropping couldn't hurt. I turned my head away from them.

"…should let her sleep," I heard Legolas say. "She was very weak when we found her yesterday and we need to let her regain her strength."

"All right, but I don't plan to wait on her much longer," Aragorn replied. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. If she can't keep up, then I don't know what we're going to do with her."

"Ideally, we should still take her," Gimli said. "She's the one who'll be guiding us, right? No sense in continuing on to Mordor blindly."

"We will if we have to," Aragorn said.

Okay, now I'm getting pissed. I guess I'll have to prove my worth. I heard them walk back into the cave, so I stirred a bit to give them the impression that I was just waking up.

"Awake now, are we?" Legolas said, smiling as I sat up.

"Just barely," I replied.

"How do you feel?" Aragorn asked.

"Much better," I said. "Thank you for your hospitality. Sorry if I've been a burden." I tried not to put too much emphasis on the last word; I wouldn't want them to know I've been listening in on their conversation.

"We best be moving now," Aragorn said. "You can tell us what's supposed to happen along the way. Can you stand?" he added as I attempted to stand up.

"Yeah, I think so," I said. I grabbed his arm for support, but I was mostly able to stand up under my own strength. There's no way they're getting rid of me _here_.

"We'll continue on until we reach the river," Aragorn said. "There we'll stop and eat something. Can you wait that long?"

"Oh yeah," I said. "A few hours isn't going to kill me."

_At least I hope not…_

I grabbed my backpack and threw it over my shoulder, thankful that it's contents were not that heavy. Not yet, anyway. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli started out the cave, and I quickly followed. Aragorn had the map out and was studying it intently. I was walking closely to Legolas, should I need to suddenly grab on to him for support. That shouldn't really be a problem; I feel fine.

As the hour wore on, I was starting to wish that we had eaten that other rabbit before we left. I was feeling dizzy again, but I refused to show my weakness to the others, what with Aragorn's words still ringing in my head.

Another hour passed and my feet were feeling rather sore. If I hadn't been wearing last year's drumline shoes (which are insanely comfy, given how ugly they are), my feet would be just about bleeding by now. I was thirsty as hell, but I figured I could suppress it until we reached the river, which was only about another hour away.

"Kendra," Aragorn said, who had by now, put the map away. I looked over at him. "Tell us about Fangorn Forest." I rubbed my head.

"Yeah…" I said. "Well first we run into a bunch of Riders from Rohan who tell us of a big nasty battle with the Orcs. We look for signs of Merry and Pippin, and Aragorn, you somehow find clues that lead us to Fangorn Forest. Now, see, Merry and Pippin have gathered an alliance with the Ents, and will most undoubtedly leave before we get there. But we _will_ find Gandalf the White."

"The White?" Legolas repeated. I nodded.

"I forget how or why that happens, but yeah," I said. "I haven't seen the movie in a bloody ass long time. My dad won't let me watch it when he's around because he thinks it's boring." I shook my head, half because of disappointment, half because of my returning illness.

"And after?" Gimli said.

"After that, we ride off to Rohan," I said. "We find that Sauron's minion Wormtongue has placed a curse on King Theoden, his son is dead, his nephew Eomer has been banished, and his niece Eowyn is in despair. Gandalf frees Theoden from the curse and they throw Wormtongue out of Rohan." My voice was beginning to crack. I pulled a water skin out from my backpack and took a long gulp before putting it back in my bag.

"Are we almost at the river yet?" I asked. Aragorn unfolded the map again, though I wasn't sure if that was going to help. Maybe he just likes to stare at it.

"Just about," he said. I stared at him quizzically. How the _hell_ was he able to determine that just from staring at the map? He glanced at me. "What?"

"Nothing," I said. He laughed slightly and ruffled my hair. I calmly reached one hand up and batted his arm away before straightening out my hair. Speaking of which, I haven't had a nice hot shower in two days. _These_ guys have probably never even _heard_ of the word shower. Makes you wonder what they smell like.

Personally, I'd rather not know.

Well, the river is probably colder than all bloody hell, but it might just suffice. I'll see if I can get myself a quick bath before we move on. Maybe I can get the guys to wash up too. Lord only knows they probably need it. Maybe if we're lucky, we can find a big pit to fill with hot water and soak in…although I don't know where we'd get the hot water…

About twenty minutes later we reached Glanduin River, and what a sight it was. It wasn't an ideally pretty scene, but the sight of water was _very_ welcoming. We set our things down beside the river and Aragorn and Legolas promptly started to make a fire. Gimli wandered off upstream of the river to see if there was any fish swimming about. I collapsed on the forest floor.

"Kendra, do you still have that other rabbit?" Legolas said. I dug around inside my backpack.

"Uh…yes, I do," I said.

"We'll eat that in the case that Gimli doesn't find any fish," Legolas said. I shifted, looking around for a place to bathe.

_I suppose I could wait until we reach Rohan,_ I thought. _But god, that's another three days! Even then I'm not guaranteed hot water._

"You guys reek," I said. Aragorn and Legolas glanced at me questioningly before glancing at each other. "Isn't there like, some place where we can wash up?"

"It doesn't appear so," Aragorn said. "If you'd like, you may take a dip in the river—."

"I'll catch hypothermia before I'm clean!" I retorted, dipping my hand in the water. Very icy water. Aragorn shrugged.

"Well, until you decide upon what you want to do, could you please fill the water skins?" he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Just…directly from the river?"

"Yes."

"No!"

"What?"

"Aragorn, dear, I'm going to teach you some basic survivor skills," I said as I pulled the water skins from my backpack. "The first thing to do when you come across a fresh-water river is to rid said water of parasites and bacteria. And how do we achieve that? We boil the water. A few times, if you wish. This will assure us purified water that is most definitely safe to drink." Aragorn stared at me.

"And…how do you know this?" he said.

"Television," I answered. "There's this really awesome show called Man vs. Wild. This guy will purposely strand himself out in the wild just so he can teach you to survive if you're ever caught in his situation. It's very useful. I learned how to build a raft."

"Yes, but I don't think that a raft will help us much on our journey," Legolas said.

"True," I said. "But seriously, boil the water. Do we have anything to hold the water for the time being?" Aragorn searched through our things.

"Here," he said, handing me a worn-down saucepan. "I got it from Samwise before he departed with Frodo."

"He won't miss it," I muttered. "This will do fine." I filled the pan with river water and placed it by the fire. Just as I did that, Gimli walked back to us holding four fish by their tails.

"These should hold us until Rohan," he said. "Now all we have to do is cook them." There was an awkward silence before Aragorn and Legolas looked to me.

"Did this Man vs. Wild also teach you how to cook fish?" Legolas said.

"Yes, he did," I sighed. "Unless you guys like sushi. I don't. Whatever. Gimme the damn fish. Aragorn, I need your knife." He stared at me questioningly, hesitant to hand over his knife. "Unless you _like_ sucking down fish guts, give me the knife." He reluctantly pulled it out and handed it to me.

This was rather interesting. I had never gutted a fish before, let alone, cook one on my own. I wasn't sure how to approach this, but if Man vs. Wild has taught me anything, then I should be okay.

Twenty minutes later, I had successfully gutted the four fish and had even removed their tails and fins. And look! I didn't even chop of a single finger.

"I need eight sticks," I said. "Preferably equal in length, and keep them moderately thin, but thick enough to support the weight of the fish. Go." Aragorn got up and started to scrounge around for sticks while I scaled the fish (AN:I'm not sure if all fish have scales.whatever.i'm not a big fish person.)

When I brought them over to the fire, Aragorn had already found the eight sticks I required and had Legolas cut them into equal length. I speared a stick through the head and…where-the-tail-used-to-be parts of the fish and propped them over the fire to cook.

The next twenty minutes were spent in silence. I had gone over to the river to wash my hair, despite how unspeakably cold the water was. Aragorn offered to spare some of the freshly boiled water so I could wash up more efficiently, and I gladly accepted. My head went through a brief episode of thermal shock, but it was all good. I sat by the fire to dry off.

The now cooked fish was the first meal I had gotten all day, and was absolutely delicious. I wasn't a big fan of fish, but hey. When you're hungry you'll eat anything (that's especially true in the case of Man vs. Wild).

I was still rather bent on taking a real _bath_. I'll stand under a flipping _waterfall_ if I have to. I told the others I was going to go look for a pit, and although they did not really understand what I was talking about (since I didn't tell them any more than that), they allowed me to leave. I took Aragorn's knife with me for protection. Gimli went back to the spot with the fish to see if he could catch more for the rest of our trip to Rohan. This left Aragorn and Legolas to sit by the fire alone.

"Some journey this is turning out to be," Legolas said, slowly scooting closer to Aragorn.

"It's rather interesting, I'll admit," Aragorn replied, gently rubbing his hand over the elf's back.

"Do you think the girl will be a useful asset to the rest of our journey?" Legolas inquired. Aragorn turned his head to look at his companion.

"I think so," he replied, before leaning his head down to kiss him. Legolas sighed and leaned his head on Aragorn's shoulder.

"I didn't think we'd ever get any alone time ever since we found Kendra," he said.

"So let's just enjoy it while we can," Aragorn whispered, bringing Legolas into another kiss. They sat there side by side gazing out upon the river, completely oblivious to everything around them.

Which in most cases, can be a bad thing.

I decided to return to our campsite, having no success in finding a pit of water and feeling rather depressed. I wondered if Gimli had already returned as well. If he successfully caught more fish, then that might be enough to sustain our energy during the next few days on our trip to Fangorn Forest, depending on how many fish he catches, if any at all. My hopes were high, nonetheless.

"Hey guys, I'm bac—," I started. I cut myself off as my eyes moved from Aragorn and Legolas to the massive Orc advancing on them.

"Kendra?" Aragorn said.

"LOOK OUT!" I screamed. The Orc roared at me, and I launched Aragorn's knife at it. It staggered backwards and howled. Aragorn and Legolas jumped to their feet, grabbing various weapons. The Orc ripped the knife out of its shoulder where I had hit it, and charged. Legolas unloaded one arrow into its neck, and the battle was won.

Aragorn retrieved the knife from the Orc's hand, and sheathed it again. He glanced over at me, and decided that I was scared or something, because he started to walk towards me with a comforting look on his face.

Instead, I slapped him on the arm.

He looked rather surprised.

"Are you _insane_?" I shouted. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you? That thing was standing like _two feet_ from you two, and you didn't even notice? That's not like you guys! Don't tell me you've lost your touch." Aragorn looked desperately to Legolas, who said nothing, but rather placed his bow over his back along side his quiver.

"I guess we were distracted," Aragorn replied simply.

"Distracted," I repeated. I sighed. "Okay, fine. You know what, fine. But I think that it's only fair that I get a weapon of some sort too. You know, in the event that I have to save myself, or you two again. Sword will do fine." Aragorn glanced at Legolas again, who merely shrugged.

"I guess so," he said. "Rest assured, you will be given a sword of your own once we reach Rohan. You have my word."

"I'll take you up on that," I said, grinning slightly. We gathered up our things to get ready to leave. Several minutes later, Gimli arrived. He had caught three more fish. I took the fish, wrapped them in empty banana leaves (leftover from eaten Elven bread) and put them in my backpack along side the other rabbit and the three water skins.

And with that, we were off.

End Chapter 4

did this chapter feel short to anyone else?  
More slash will ensue.promise.  
the sword will arrive eventually.not sure when,but eventually.it all depends on which chapter I introduce Rohan.i don't want so much school-life chapters as there were in the first version of this story.i intend to stretch out my middle earth experience until either chapters nine or ten.  
Oh yes,the story will still be ten chapters long.and chapter eleven?useless.will be deleted…once all ten chapter are replaced.  
Well,I hope you've enjoyed the story so far,and I also hope that you will be so kind as to review.please,I live off of reviews.


	5. Fangorn

So sorry for such a delay! I'm not sure how I'm going to pull this off,with the original chapter five so wretchedly lame. but I somehow pulled off chapter 3,so I can probably do this. yeah.  
**Disclaimers and copyrights:**I don't own LOTR 1-3 or anything LOTR related.I do however own this story,so stealing is a big time no-no.  
enjoy and review!

**Chapter 5: Fangorn**

It was another grueling two days until we reached the border of Fangorn Forest. During that time, I had finally shut up about not having a nice hot bath in four days. I was bored out of my mind with nothing to do except walk a billion miles a day, talk to three stone walls, and eat fish.

We finally decided to eat the rabbit Legolas had killed a few days ago, though I was a bit skeptical. The thing had been tossed around in my backpack for the last three days, and had probably started attracting maggots and the likes. The fact that might be spawning maggotty goodness in _my backpack_ made me feel that much better.

We were still several miles north of Fangorn Forest, and decided to take a break. I dumped the rabbit out of my backpack and onto the grassy ground; we had long since exited the forest where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli had found me, and had arrived in a grassy plain about mid afternoon yesterday.

The rabbit was not in such bad condition as I had suspected it would be. It was still relatively fresh, though it slightly reeked of decay. Unwanted parasites were not found. Confused, I rummaged through the contents of my backpack and found a melted icepack in one of the hidden pockets inside my bag. The rabbit must have been pressed up right against the pocket with the icepack, keeping it cool…or something. I wondered when I had put the icepack in there in the first place. Knowing my mother and her sneaky ways, it was probably her. I wondered why I couldn't feel the icepack before, as the pocket it was in was right up against the back of the bag, and I decided that the cold of the icepack wouldn't have differentiated much from the cold of my body brought about by the unfamiliar climate of Middle Earth.

While I prepared a fire, Aragorn skinned the rabbit, quietly humming an Elven song to himself. Legolas and Gimli decided to spend their time sharpening their respective weapons. Legolas didn't seem to mind spending the time individually sharpening each and every one of his arrows. I admired his patience.

"See that over there?" Aragorn said to me, pointing southward. I looked up from where I had my nose buried in the map to where he was pointing. He was pointing off toward Fangorn Forest, I knew, but all I could see was a dense cloud of trees. "That's Fangorn."

"I gathered as much," I replied, rubbing my calves. I had never been as fit as I would like, so the hike from the Glanduin River to where we were now took a bit out of me. Aragorn was essentially a nomad, travelling a lot, and thus must be fit from that. Legolas was an elf, and well…elves were always perfectly built. So for the last two days, I was lagging a bit along side Gimli. The strenuous exercise and conditioning forced upon us during my two weeks at band camp helped me to build up my quads and calves, but I was no where near athletic.

I wondered if this would hinder our journey.

I was abruptly reminded of what Aragorn had said, about leaving me behind if necessary. Now, that's not fair! I'm 16 years old, in a freaking _coma_, stranded on some continent I _thought_ didn't _exist_ with nothing more than a crudely drawn map. I'm their best freaking chance of surviving the rest of the journey!

Not to mention that they're _my_ best chance of surviving this.

If I _was_ going to survive…

I glanced at Aragorn.

"We should, uh, be moving soon?" I inquired. I had the nagging feeling that we were only resting for my benefit. In the second movie, Gimli implied that they ran for three straight days without so much as a bite to eat. We had only travelled two days, taking only about four hours to sleep each day.

Aragorn glanced at me, his chunk of rabbit meat untouched. "Why the sudden haste?"

Was I busted? Could he see through my worry to my wary determination?

"It's just, um…" I started. "We…would have a better chance of finding Merry and Pippin sooner if we hurry. Besides," I stood up. "I need to stretch my legs." They were still a bit sore and protested against the weight of my body.

"You're very resilient, young one," Aragorn complimented thoughtfully. Legolas was already on his feet, staring off into the forest.

"What can you see?" Gimli inquired. Legolas squinted.

"Nothing, really," he said, seeming disappointed. "The foliage is too thick."

"I don't suppose you'd know where to go once inside the forest, would you?" Aragorn said to me. He had prompted the question more like a statement. I raised my eyebrows once.

"No," I said. "I just know that we're supposed to go into the forest. I'm guessing (rather, I'm hoping) that clues will lead us to Gandalf." Aragorn nodded slowly.

I ascended a hill matted with dead grass to get a better view of the countryside. My companions were packing up our things. I aknowkedged the forest and then turned my head around a hundred and eighty degrees, searching.

And finding.

Legolas was beside me then. He glanced at me once and then in the direction I was looking. Aragorn and Gimli joined us on top of the hill. A speck on the far off distant hill. Very dark, and at the same time, very chilling.

"A pile of corpses," Legolas said. "Bodies, still smouldering."

"Kendra?" Aragorn said.

"Orcs," I replied. "Last night, if my knowledge is accurate. The Riders of Rohan would tell you that they killed everyone in this Orc gathering last night and burned the bodies, leading us to think that the two hobbits we're looking for are dead." I scrutinized my map and deciphered the distance between us and the hill was just over one hundred miles. How did we end up so far from Lórien?

Aragorn looked at me. He could tell something was wrong.

"It's not lining up the way I expected it to," I said.

"And how's that?"

"We were supposed to come across the Riders of Rohan, who would tell us that they took care of an Orc gathering last night, leading us to think that Merry and Pippin are dead. They're so far from Rohan because Éomer was banished," I said. Legolas turned to look at me. "Which is one good reason we're going into Fangorn. As I said before, we will come across Gandalf again."

"In Fangorn?" Gimli said. I nodded.

"Éomer was banished," I explained, "because Wormtongue, a minion of Saruman, has placed a curse on King Theoden, enabling Saruman to control him. Theoden has no independent judgement or control anymore."

"Not yet," Aragorn said comprehendingly.

"We find Gandalf, we free Theoden, and he will lead us in the battle against the Orcs," I said. The others looked at me. "You all must be aware of the war that is upon us. Saruman aims to take over Rohan, and the Orcs will attack."

"At Rohan?"

"The battle actually takes place in Helm's Deep," I elaborated. "But more on that later, yes? Let's go." I descended the hill with the others close behind me.

Two hours came and dragged by. I had refused to tell them much more about the future than I already had, so conversation was limited. Every now and then, Aragorn and Legolas would exchange small-talk in Elvish. At least, I _thought_ it was small-talk. I had never gotten around to teaching myself Elvish, so sadly I was not able to understand even one word that they said to each other. I silently questioned their purpose of keeping their conversation from me and Gimli. I wondered if Gimli had to put up with this often.

My legs held until we reached the very border of Fangorn Forest, where we paused for a second. On top an adjacent hill was the smouldering corpse pile. Aragorn had insisted on investigating it anyway ( I had no idea what for. Maybe his Ranger eyes could pick up details I missed), so Legolas, Gimli and I stayed behind and waited for him to return.

Cue awkward silence.

I glanced at Legolas, who speaking in a low voice to Gimli. Great, now I was the one who always had to be excluded? It kind of annoyed me, but I didn't look too much into it. I didn't want them to think I was nosy or prying, but then again…what if they were talking about leaving me behind again? _Then_ what would I do?

Then again…why _would_ they leave me behind at all? They need me to survive the Helm's Deep battle, _I_ need _them_ to survive this coma hallucination, and…they couldn't be that heartless…

Right?

I glanced at them again. Legolas was silently shuffling his feet. I couldn't expect a conversation, since they already knew that I wouldn't tell them anymore about Rohan and the battle until we actually came to it. What was there to talk about?

Aragorn returned some minutes later and conversed briefly with Legolas in Elvish again. Once, Aragorn pointed at me very briefly without taking his eyes off of the elf. I cocked my head. Discerning from their body language and facial expressions, I'd say that Aragorn didn't find anything _too_ important. He probably just wanted to see what happened during the mini-battle last night, how Merry and Pippin escaped.

Then, Aragorn was running into the forest. Startled, the rest of us quickly followed. I could feel the blood surging back into my feet, and it kind of hurt. I wasn't quite sure why we were running, though I had an idea. I _did_ say that the sooner we get moving, the faster we may find the hobbits. Was Aragorn testing my endurance? Or was I just paranoid?

Paranoid. Probably.

Legolas came to a halt, holding out his arm to stop the rest of us. He scanned our surroundings with his keen eyes. I noticed Gimli taste something off a plant. It was black and viscous.

"Orc blood," we said in unison.

"After Merry and Pippin escaped the carnage and were persued by a survivor," I explained, "so they escaped into the Forest."

"Where are they now?" Legolas inquired.

"Not sure," I answered. "They may have already headed off towards Isengard with Treebeard by now."

Then Aragorn was off running again and Legolas was after him in half a second. Gimli and I took off in the other half-second. What was with all the running? I said _maybe_.

A minute passed and Aragorn slowed to a jog. Legolas came to a halt, so Gimli and I followed suit. Aragorn continued on for several more yards before coming to a stop as well. He looked around. Legolas took a step forward.

A groaning noise. Then creaking.

"What is it?" Legolas said.

"The trees," I replied, grabbing a hold of Legolas's sleeve. I was feeling dizzy again. Maybe I hadn't fully recovered the tuba attack yet, as I so thought I had. "They're speaking to each other."

"The trees?" Aragorn said, turning to look at me.

"_Ents_," I corrected myself. I staggered backwards. Legolas caught me by my shoulder. Aragorn took two steps towards us. I held up my hand. "Gandalf will be near." I coughed. "Where do we go from here?" Aragorn composed his expression.

"I was rather hoping that you knew," he answered. "I'm not so sure myself."

So we were lost in Fangorn Forest. How. Freaking. _Wonderful._ Makes me almost sad that I was of such little value to this part of their journey.

We came across a small stream. I pulled out the map and unfolded it. Gimli and Legolas were by my side, reading the map over my shoulder. I did my best to ignore them. Turning my attention back to the map, I traced my finger over the Glanduin River, where it passed through the mountains, became the Nimredel River and passed through Lórien.

Something clicked in my head…or rather, it _tried _to. At this point, they should have already departed from Lórien then headed into the Mirkwood where they lost Boromir. According to the map, the Glanduin River was pretty much the same river as the Nimredel, and _that_ was going through Lórien. I was confusing myself, but maybe I had just misread the map?

"It's not on the map," I noted.

"Streams like these usually aren't," Legolas replied. Smiling, he added, "Perhaps you were looking for a lucky break?" I smiled as well.

"I suppose." I was hoping to follow this stream into Isengard. Unfortunately, a lucky break was not to be had. From the looks of it, none of the rivers went through Fangorn. "Our best bet is to continue south." South of Fangorn was the West Emnet, which I could only assume would be where Gandalf calls upon his horse Shadowfax. From there it looked like we would head south into Rohan.

I began searching for locations of future events, like the ambush attack on the way to Helms Deep and decided that it would be in the Westfold. Then I had to stop myself. If I was wrong about where they found me, if we had been, in fact, north of the Glanduin River instead of the Nimredel, then what else could I be wrong about? Maybe the events that took place in the movie wouldn't correspond perfectly with this world I was in. It seemed only reasonable, now that I had given it some thought. I didn't know what to do at this point.

The others decided to take my advice and started off south again. I followed warily, skeptical of my own words. At any rate, everything else seemed to be going as according to plan. Yet, how could I be sure of what I was doing?

"What happened?" I asked. The others looked at me. "Before you found me, I mean." We were pacing ourselves at a slow walk. I was still holding on to Legolas's arm.

"Our group was divided at Mirkwood," Aragorn started. "We chased a group of Orcs across the mountains, thinking they had Merry and Pippin. We were mistaken, unfortunately, and lost the Orcs."

And then there was the gap between movies one and two where we don't see what happens in between. It was very reasonable that they did in fact end up north of the Glanduin, then traced their steps back to the Field of Celebrant, where I guessed that they encountered the Riders of Rohan. We had cleared the mountains some days ago, so they must have been on their way to the Field when they found me. Their encounter with me must have detoured their trip away from the Riders and straight towards Fangorn instead.

That was the only way I could get it to line up, anyway.

Another mile south and Aragorn jogged several yards forward. I slumped slightly when we stopped, so Legolas stayed behind to help support me. Aragorn then turned around and scanned our surroundings. His eyes were alert. His hand was hovering over his sword, at the ready. The rest of us were startled.

"What is it?" Legolas asked. He and Aragorn looked to me, hoping for answers. I was still hanging on to the fact that I had been wrong about the rivers and the Riders and thus, everything else. I doubted myself. How could I be sure that I knew what was going to happen?

I looked at Aragorn and shook my head.

He straightened up from his crouch and studied my worried face. He took several steps towards me. "Kendra…?"

A faint light to the side, and he froze. I could tell from his expression that he didn't need my help to know what it was.

"The White Wizard," he whispered. Legolas straightened, then nodded once.

"Gand—" I choked. My throat was suddenly dry. Legolas let go of my arm to take an arrow from the quiver on his back. Gimli tightened his grip on his axe, mouthing the word "Saruman".

I wasn't so sure why I was worried that they would hurt Gandalf anyway; he turned out fine in the movie, the others' weapons rendered useless. I was abruptly reminded of my suspected flaws and I shut myself up.

"We must be quick."

"No!"

They wheeled around, barring their weapons. I fell to my knees.

A bright light and I was blinded.

End Chapter 5

Ha I did end up confusing myself halfway through writing this.i think I did get the rivers messed up,but hopefully I fixed anyone's confused or want to correct me,please feel free to do so.  
also,i forgot to run a spell check on this,so tell me if you catch any mistakes.  
I'm writing the rest of this story without the reference of the original the process,I hope to keep myself in Middle Earth for longer than I was in the original version. As such,I'm hoping that this revised version will turn out to be better than the old one.  
sorry this chapter was so short,by the way.i don't have much to go on.  
please review!


	6. Rohan

I seem to be pacing myself, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that. the first version of Chapter 6 showed that we were engaged in battle already, then the next three chapters were spent in present time. i aim to fix this by keeping myself in Middle Earth for as long as possible.  
now then…  
**Disclaimers:** don't own LOTR, all that stuff

**Chapter 6: Rohan**

My world was black again. I felt light. There was pressure in my head. It felt like I could tip over.

I was then aware of my head between my knees. I was clawing at the forest floor with my nails. My head was spinning. How long had it been since I rested? Since I had a bite to eat?

Voices.

"…they used to call me," I heard. "_I_ am Gandalf the _White_." Ah. So Gandalf survived the "attack." I should have expected as much.

A curious pause. I heard Aragorn's feet shuffle to the side as someone approached me. I presumed it to be Gandalf. I became aware of a pair of hands on my back, rubbing my shoulders. I hadn't noticed Legolas beside me before until Gandalf started talking.

"And what have we here?" the wizard inquired. "Another Halfling?" Okay, I'm not that short. Thanks a lot, Gandalf.

"A girl," Aragorn answered. "We found her in the forests north of the Glanduin River. She is…not of our time."

"Hmm. How interesting…" It seemed like Gandalf knew more about my situation than Aragorn was letting him in on.

"She was nearly dead when we found her," Legolas said from his spot beside me. "She's proved to be useful and her knowledge of…things, we found to be very advantageous. We've been helping her to recover." I felt Gandalf trace a finger curiously over the bump at the base of my skull. I had forgotten all about it. It felt smaller and didn't hurt as much. So if I was steadily healing, why was I still so dizzy all of the time?

"She was attacked," Aragorn said. "She's doing better, but she's still weak, it seems."

"I'm _conscious_, you know," I muttered. The blood was returning to my head. I was gradually feeling sturdier, so I slowly straightened up, still sitting on my feet.

Gandalf was kneeling in front of me. Legolas was on the ground to my right, his hands still on my shoulders, like he was supporting me. Gimli was standing off to my left and Aragorn was behind Gandalf.

"You _weren't_ two minutes ago, young one," the wizard said. Really? I thought I had been awake the whole time. I had suspected that I couldn't hear Gandalf talking because my head was throbbing so much. So I had been unconscious with my head between my knees? Man, how awkward must _that _have looked?

I stared at Gandalf rather incredulously.

"For how long…?"

"A few minutes," Aragorn answered.

I can't just keep passing out! What if they decide I'd become a burden, deadweight, and ditch me?

_Now, now. You're becoming paranoid again._

"No, I'm being perfectly reasonable," I mouthed aside to myself. Gandalf cocked his head, then looked back to Aragorn. Aragorn started saying things in Elvish to Gandalf (again with the Elvish!), with the two of them occasionally glancing at me. More conversing. Then—

"Aahhh…" Gandalf said, like he had grasped something. "How interesting indeed."

Fear. Panic. Confusion. Worry. What were their reasons for keeping every conversation from me?

Aragorn knelt in front of me. I focused my gaze on him. It looked like he was scrutinizing me, trying to read my face. He held up his hand to my face then. I leaned back, confused. He then grazed my cheek with a finger. He pulled back, and his finger was wet.

_What…?_

"Why do you cry?" he said quietly, gently. I quickly wiped at my eyes with both hands.

"I don't know," I whispered. There was no lie in my words.

"Are you afraid?"

This question struck me. At first, I wondered what there was to be afraid of. But as Aragorn and I continued staring at each other, I started to think: Well, there's _a lot_ to be afraid of. I'm in a coma that I may never wake from. If I died here, would I die in real life? What if I was stuck in Middle Earth forever? Then there was the near irrational fear that my only chances of survival were going to suddenly leave me, when I knew in the back of my mind that they wouldn't be that heartless. There was the paranoia of not knowing what they were talking about all the time. Gimli didn't seem to mind, so knowing that I was the only one left in the dark only heightened this fear.

This _fear_.

I fixed my eyes on Aragorn's. "Yes."

Aragorn looked taken aback. So much for being resilient, eh? He turned to look up at Gandalf. The wizard nodded once.

"Let's get a move on," he said. Legolas helped me to my feet. I felt so limp, so _helpless_.

It was _such_ an irritating feeling.

**.xXx.**

A few miles of walking through the forest and we reached the outskirts, where the forest ended and the fields began again. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the new light, but it felt good to finally be out of Fangorn. I was holding on to Legolas's arm now. During the hike, my strength had slowly begun to return and I lost the need to hang on to him completely. That and I could only wonder if he resented me for making him bear all of my weight.

A large field was splayed before us, which I could only assume was the West Emnet. I wanted to ask someone to confirm this assumption, but not only did I lack the strength suddenly to speak, I was interrupted.

Gandalf started to whistle. Two separate notes. As if on cue, a brilliant white stallion rode towards us from beyond the hill.

"Shadowfax," we said together. Gandalf didn't look at me, rather, he started to pet the horse. Oh sure, back at home it was just a horse. I just couldn't really appreciate it until I was…standing next to it, however unlikely that seemed.

I became suddenly aware of something: the rest of us didn't have horses. I had forgotten that their encounter with the Riders of Rohan would earn them the two ownerless horses, but since I had deterred them away from the Riders, we had not obtained the horses.

Way to go, me.

I decided not to tell them this fact. To distract myself, I pulled out and unfolded the map. Upon studying it, I determined that there was only a mere one hundred miles separating us from the Westfold.

Wow. Way to _go_, me.

I groaned. What was I going to do? I'd _die_ before we reached Rohan in my condition! If only I knew what was _up_ with my condition in the first place, maybe I could do something about it and not be such a burden.

_Now, now, Kendra, you're beating yourself up a little much, don't you think?_

No, I don't.

_Paranoid again?_

No, I'm just going crazy is all. Which, might be the same thing. But I'm talking to myself, I can hear myself talking to…myself. That makes me crazy, I'm pretty sure.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Gandalf yanked me onto the back of his horse, seating me right in front of him. This left me wondering not only how such an old man like Gandalf could lift my near-dead weight, but also if he could read my mind. Nah, he was probably just being precautious, hospitable, understanding.

"Well, no sense in us just standing around," Gandalf said. "Come along." He nudged the horse and the five of us started south.

A new wave of emotions. On top of previously felt fear, panic, confusion, and worry, I was now also feeling guilt and self-doubt. I wanted to tell myself not to be angsty or emo or whatever, but I just couldn't help it. I was making my initial three companions walk the next hundred or so miles while I lounged on this magnificent white steed like some spoiled city girl…without the city. After all they've done for me, after all they've been through for me, they're still bleeding their feet.

For me.

What a bitch I feel like right now.

_Calm down, you're just having an anxiety attack._

And that's not something to get worked up about? All of this was because of band practice and my _persistence_. If I had just gone home when I found out I didn't have anything to play with, I wouldn't have gotten whacked, I wouldn't have ended up in this _stupid coma_, and I certainly wouldn't be beating myself up over this alleged hallucination right now. Had none of this happened, had I gone home instead of stayed at school to avoid my family (as I so often do) I wouldn't be experiencing such _guilt_ right now.

I _hate_ this feeling.

_But think of the potentials!_

Of what? Of being half-dead in the middle of nowhere? I'm dead weight to them, and I'm about to launch myself into this huge battle of epic proportions where pretty much _no one_ survives because the enemy essentially outnumbers us by roughly forty to one! The only reason I'm still here, that I'm not _dead_ yet is so I can keep them alive!

So much help _I'll_ be once I'm dead.

But I could actually see some potentials now. I knew how many Uruk-hai Saruman was going to throw at us and what they would be armed with. Maybe if Théoden will listen to me and not think I'm completely insane or possessed, then we'd have the chance to better supply and prepare ourselves so that we won't be so screwed over when they attack.

I may even be able to save Haldir…assuming that the Elves come in the first place…

It was _such_ a comforting feeling.

**.xXx.**

I opened my eyes and it was nearly dark. Or nearly light, whichever one; they both look the same. I was lying on my back, on the grass. Aragorn's cloak was laid out beneath me like a tarp, then folded over my bare arms like a blanket. I heard a fire crackling beside me, and the heavy breathing of Gandalf's horse a few yards away.

When had I fallen asleep?

I rolled over quietly and propped myself up on my elbows, testing my stability. It seemed adequate. At least I didn't fall back down again. That being said and done, I looked around.

A small fire was lit on the exposed dirt. The unwanted grass that had previously resided there had been uprooted and thrown to the side. The fire seemed to be dying, yet no one was tending to it. Where was everyone?

I looked around. Gandalf was lying beside his horse, muttering quietly in his sleep. Gimli was nowhere to be seen. And the others?

I lifted myself up higher, supporting my weight on the balls of my palms now. Not far away, but not too close either, I spotted Aragorn and Legolas. They were sitting next together, backs turned towards the fire and towards me. I cocked my head upon observing how…closely they were sitting next to each other.

I wanted to say something. What would happen though if they knew I had caught them…doing whatever it was that they were doing? I could hear them talking quietly, in English this time, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I was insanely curious, but I knew it wasn't my business. It wasn't really like me to pry. Asking would be awkward anyway. I don't deal well with awkward situations, besides.

I quietly laid back down, wrapping the cloak around myself again.

Just being here felt _wrong_.

**.xXx.**

The next time I opened my eyes, it was to the sun. I was still lying in the grass, still wrapped up in Aragorn's cloak. I couldn't hear the fire anymore. In its place, I heard voices. In clear English.

"…another forty miles maybe to the Westfold," I heard Aragorn say. Paper shuffling. He must have taken the map from me while I was sleeping. "Kendra has already told us of the pending battle that is to be, but not of its outcome. We don't know what to expect."

"We can question her more when she awakes, although her willingness to provide us with information is somewhat hesitant." So they had told Gandalf of my "power" already. This will save me time, I suppose.

"She certainly sleeps a lot, doesn't she?" Gimli said, gruffly. When did he return?

"It is understandable, given what she's been through," Legolas said. "But why hasn't she fully recovered by now?" A pause.

"I don't know," Gandalf said finally. "But it would not be wise to leave her behind." Aragorn must have told him about his previous worry, the one he had back in the cave north of the Glanduin. "The way I see it, she is our greatest advantage in this impending battle. She _will_ talk if she hopes of surviving this as well, and I have no doubt that she knows this." Another pause.

Gandalf was on my side. Gandalf was a strong asset to the rest of the journey, to my survival. I could feel the self-doubt dissipating steadily, but the guilt was still there. Hope was starting to return, but couldn't help but feel doubtful about our survival in the battle. Even _with_ my help, how could we hope to survive it? Even if our numbers doubled, tripled even, we could never hope to win.

Could we?

Shuffling in the grass, and the four of them got up. I closed my eyes as I heard one of them approach me. He knelt down by my head and brushed the hair out of my face. The rough fingers told me it was Aragorn. He traced his thumb across my cheekbone gently, yet with pressure. Was he trying to wake me up? It seemed like it, so I stirred slightly and sighed. I opened my eyes again, this time to Aragorn leaning over me.

"Time to go," he said. I sat up, pulling the cloak up with me. He handed me the piece of rabbit meat that was his, untouched from the last time we had settled down to rest. I ate it hungrily, though dry it was. I fished around in my backpack for the water skins. While the others were studying the map, I drank quickly and replaced the skin. I zipped up my bag and stood up.

I elected to walk with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli rather than ride with Gandalf again. For one thing, I didn't want to feel weak, nor did I want _them_ to think I was weak. I had slept long and well, and I had strength. For another thing, I didn't want my initial companions to feel alone again. Walking with them helped to relieve some of my guilt, but raised some new guilt when I asked myself if I was just doing this out of pity.

What's with these thoughts all of the sudden? These feelings of guilt and self-doubt? The feeling that I don't belong here, that I _shouldn't_ be here…what's happening?

A dozen miles down, and I felt dizzy again. Maybe it was because I was becoming sick, because I hadn't fully healed from the tuba attack…or maybe it was because these doubts, these suffocating feelings, and this constant worry were finally getting to me.

I swayed backwards, and Aragorn was beside me in an instant, holding me by the shoulders. "Maybe it wasn't wise for you to choose to walk," he said.

"I wanted to," I insisted. Aragorn made a face, the expression of which I couldn't read. Another pair of hands was on me, and suddenly I was back on the horse. As much as I didn't want to be, as much as I would rather have been walking with the guys despite my condition, I knew I wasn't going anywhere.

And that was that.

For the time being, anyway.

I almost fell asleep again, but I kept myself awake by forcing conversation with the men walking beside me. It seemed that they wanted to know more about the world I came from, so I thoroughly answered whatever questions that came my way. Most inquiries were about technology and weaponry, both of which I couldn't describe very well. Yet they were still fascinated all the same. It didn't matter if I couldn't answer them very well; they wouldn't know the difference.

We ascended a moderately large hill. On the top, we spotted the wooden gates of Rohan and the village behind it. Beyond that was the palace where we would find Théoden. I almost wanted to tell my companions what would happen now and later, once we encountered Wormtongue and what to do. I recalled telling them that Wormtongue was in control of Théoden, but I don't remember telling them how to free the king. Gandalf would know, I guess.

This was it. War was upon us. And I was to help them through it. Our first order of business was to rid the kingdom of Mordor's spawn. After that, how long would it take for Wormtongue to report back to Saruman?

The fighting may not have begun yet, but the battle had already started.

End Chapter 6

Can you tell I'm kind of making this up as I go? i'm quite satisfied with the way it's turning out. although I'm having problems plotting out the rest of the chatpters. oh well. i guess i'll cross that road when we come to it, eh?  
please review! Criticism, advice, corrections, I'll take anything.


	7. Arrival

In version 1.0 of this story, I would have woken up by now, though as I progress my writing skills, I feel that it's way too soon to end the Middle Earth portion of the story. So here I am...still Middle Earth. i do hope you all appreciate that.  
**Warnings:** not sure yet. I'm making this up as I go. like, seriously.  
**Disclaimers:** don't own LOTR,etc…  
**Reviews and Feedback:** always welcomed. oh by the way, if they're not actually going to the Westfold in the movie, let me know so I can change it. 'cause I'm not really sure XD.  
**Note: **i appologize in advance for the shortness of the chapter. You know...shorter than usual.

**Chapter 7: arrival**

It was another ten miles from the hill to the wooden gates of the Westfold. If I could have, I would have jumped off that horse to walk with Aragorn and the guys, but Gandalf had me secured in between his arms. I felt confident in my ability to walk; I had the past eighty miles (give or take) to regain strength, which I'm sure I had plenty of by now. Then again…every time I told myself that I had enough strength to stand up, to walk under my own power, it turned out that I didn't.

Something's happening to me. Should I be worried?

I swayed sideways on the horse. Gandalf's balustrade-arms kept me in place. It was probably very irrational that I still wanted to walk with the guys.

_Yes, it is. You're in no condition to walk._

I feel _fine_.

_Besides, give Aragorn and Legolas some…some time alone._

How alone can they be? They're with _us_. Besides, I don't even know what's up with them. So I saw them sitting together last night. They're good friends, maybe they were just friending it up. This made me think, though. My earlier thoughts about how maybe what I saw in the movie isn't quite what's going on here may apply to Aragorn and Legolas's friendship as well. So if the movie and this world aren't the same, then maybe Aragorn and Legolas….

_Nonsense. You're thinking too much into it._

And then I jump to conclusions. Like always. So I make my own conclusions without structure or proof, but at the same time, it's not like I can go up and _ask_ them about it. It's not my place.

_This_ isn't my place. Just being here. I felt so…well, out of place. It's a weird feeling, really. How would I affect the outcome of the war? And ultimately, everything after that? If we won this impending battle, would it change the outcome of everything else?

I don't even know how much longer I'm going to be here. I don't even know if I _want_ to be here anymore. Sure, I could change the outcome of the battle so that we don't lose miserably, sure I could save Haldir's life. But I couldn't see into the future and be sure of what was to come.

Not anymore.

Everyone was counting on me to get them through this battle, though. Everyone was counting on me to tell them all about Rohan and Gondor and whatever. If I suddenly stopped offering my services, if instead I merely become deadweight, if they find no more use for me…then I'm done for, pretty much.

_You don't know that for sure._

I don't know anything for sure anymore.

**.xXx.**

I didn't pay much attention to our ascent into the Westfold. The villagers stared at us as we rode in (and walked in) through the gates. I didn't notice them. Aragorn had noticed my change in attitude, my progressive silence as we entered the Westfold.

"You've gotten rather quiet…"

He didn't ask anything else after I didn't answer. I could tell that he wanted to, but had decided not to press it any further. Maybe I'll tell him later. None of the others inquired my silence.

At the base of the palace stairs, we dismounted. A blood rush to my head and I stumbled. Aragorn caught me. I tried to look up at him, but my vision was blurry. The others started up the stairs, and Aragorn started to go with them. I still couldn't see, so I reached out and grabbed his hand. He looked down at me and wordlessly led me up the stairs, supporting me.

"You've gotten rather quiet," he said again after we cleared the first half.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I've been…doing a lot of thinking." I could see him smiling. I must be getting my sight back.

"Anything good?"

I deliberated briefly. "Probably not." I saw his face change into something of a confused expression, though he did not inquire further. We had arrived at the doors.

A guard approached us. I didn't pay much attention to what he was saying, but I knew he was giving us the not-allowed-to-approach-Théoden-so-heavily-armed speech. So while Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn disarmed themselves, Gandalf and I stood back. Gandalf needed his "weapon" to walk, and I had nothing to be confiscated. Well, not unless they discovered my cell phone, though I'd already proven it to be useless.

Gandalf dissuaded the guard from taking his staff, and we went in to the palace.

It was almost how I remembered it from the movie. A large, dimly lit palace room, guards lined up among the statues and pillars, a long rug leading to the throne in which sat an elderly king and his dark, brooding minion whispering deceiving nothings into his ear as we approached. I began glaring him down.

"Watch the right-hand man," I whispered to Aragorn, tugging on his arm. He nodded once towards me, though I knew that Wormtongue wouldn't be a direct threat to us.

Gandalf approached Théoden and started saying things with a dynamic and powerful voice. The words were fuzzy in my ears. I knew what he was saying, but my sudden lack of senses had me worrying again.

Laughing. It sounded strained. I think Théoden was laughing. A bright light and Gandalf moved forward. Suddenly Aragorn dashed away from my side. Without any support, I fell to my knees. I could barely see. I could barely hear. I could not move. Every voice around me was a murmur.

I looked up and strained my eyes to see. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were beating up the guards as Gandalf continued to advance on the king, brandishing his staff before him. Gimli took down Wormtongue and made a threatening remark of some sort.

How long would it take for Gandalf to rid Théoden of Saruman's presence? How long would it take for them to notice that I was still kneeling by the doorway? I leaned forward on my hands.

Then…silence. The clatter of shoes on the cold tile floor, which I could only assume was Eowyn running forward to catch her uncle. Another murmur. I heard my name, then footsteps.

"Are you all right?" Legolas asked, kneeling in front of me. I looked up. Everything was blurry.

"I can't…" I stuttered. I groped for his hand. He caught mine. "See…" I finished. He looked back to Aragorn.

"Blindness?" he said.

"No," I answered, quickly. He turned back to me. "I…everything is blurry." Maybe my contacts fell out.

_No, they're still in._

Oh, well…this is just perfect.

**.xXx.**

My sight gradually returned as the day wore on. Théoden went outside to rid his city of the wretch and to…see his son. Legolas and Gimli stayed inside the palace with me. There was hot soup in front of me, but I barely touched it.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered. Legolas and Gimli were silent for a while.

"I don't know," Legolas replied. "Just get some rest."

And so I did.

**.xXx.**

Sleeping all the time, so frequently for so long had made me feel like a heavy burden on my companions when we were on the move. But we had made it to Rohan. The guys were plotting out war tactics, which I could only assume I had no place in. Still, I wondered if anyone would think of my knowledge of the future as an advantage.

Or had they finally seen things through my eyes? I doubted it. They still couldn't fully grasp what a movie was, as much as I had tried to explain it. I think I left my pocket dictionary back in the forest north of the Glanduin River, along with all of my school work and such.

Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to listen in on their conversation. I could interject when needed.

I heard voices as I neared the conference room, which I found by wandering around. I'm glad that I had my hearing back. But when I approached, I didn't hear battle plans and I had half-expected to.

Instead, I heard of evacuation plans.

_Ah yes,_ I thought. _This is the part where Théoden migrates everyone to Helm's Deep._

I decided to be a part of this. I walked into the room, not exactly revealing my eavesdropping spot beside the doorway. Théoden stopped talking. Everyone looked towards me. It was just like the movie. Théoden, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were present. Only the first three were really talking, though. Gandalf stood up when he saw me.

"Ah, King Théoden, my friend," he said, striding over to me to place his hands on my shoulders. "I wish to introduce to you our latest ally. This is Miss Kendra. Her extraordinary abilities may prove nothing short of beneficial in the future." Théoden looked me over questioningly.

"And what ability might this be?" he inquired. Gandalf grinned and leaned forward.

"She can see into the future," he said. Théoden leaned back and scratched his goatee thoughtfully.

"Not really," I muttered. "I have a general idea of what's to come."

"Well so does everyone in this room, young one," Théoden replied.

"It's more detailed than that, sir," I said. "Everyone knows that a battle is imminent, that a war is pending. _I _know, however, the numbers we're up against, how many people we may lose, the enemy's weaknesses, if and when aid will come, and whether or not we win or lose." Théoden stared at me.

"Astounding," he breathed. "How is it that you know all of this?" I bit my lip.

"It's a long story," I answered.

"Her readiness to hand over information regarding the future is hesitant, either way," Gandalf said. "But she does provide assistance when needed." The king nodded.

"So tell me," he said. "Is Helm's Deep adequate battle grounds?" I deliberated. There was one weakness, and that was under the bridge. I supposed that if we kept that guarded and armed, then the walls would be nearly indestructible. I'll tell them about that later.

"It's not perfect, but it's our best chance," I answered. Théoden nodded again, then stood.

"The Orcs will still try to find us here," he said. "We must evacuate to Helm's Deep at once." He and a few guards left the room. I waited until I was sure he was out of earshot.

"We're going to be severely outnumbered," I said. "Saruman, as we speak, is preparing an army of such great magnitudes, I can't even begin to fathom." The others didn't look at me or say anything, but I knew they heard. And I knew we all had the same thought:

We are so screwed.

How much help could I be if I was doubtful about my "abilities?" I needed to talk to Aragorn. Gandalf led me back into the room where Aragorn was quietly talking to Legolas and Gimli.

"We get to Helm's Deep, where we take on the Orcs and everything they've got," Gimli summarized. "How hard can that be?" He gave one short laugh. A brief pause and the three of them turned to look at me. I blinked in surprise. They had become so reliant on me. It's like I was spoiling them.

"Um, rather difficult actually," I replied. "Err, Aragorn, can I talk to you?" I pointed over my back and towards the door as I spoke. Aragorn stared at me for about two seconds before turning to briefly look at Legolas.

"Of course," he answered, standing up. Legolas had a look of confusion on his face, but his expression also told me that he wouldn't ask about it right now.

I waited for Aragorn to catch up to me before I turned around and headed for the door. Once there, I wasn't really sure where to go; I still didn't know the castle very well. Come to think of it, I didn't know the castle at all. So I leaned up against the wall right outside the door. Aragorn came around to face me.

"What's on your mind?" he inquired. "More thinking?"

"This is thinking I've been doing for a while now," I answered. It would really help if I could sit down right now. "Let me ask you this first: how much do you rely on my abilities?" He shifted his weight, thinking, scratching his beard as his did.

"No more than I have to," he answered, finally. "It would not be wise at all for any of us to become too dependent on you. It's probably more pressure than you want or need, correct?"

"Yes, definitely," I replied. I bit my lip. Aragorn cocked his head.

"I get the feeling that there was more to that question than you had let me in on," he said. I lowered my head and nodded. He placed a gloved hand on the side of my face and tilted my head up to look at him. He brushed the hair out of my face with his thumb. "What's on your mind?" I sighed.

"I…don't have the same confidence in my abilities that you do," I said, quietly. "I doubt what I know." His expression hardened.

"Why's that?"

"Back in Fangorn Forest, I came to a realization while studying my map," I said. "For an instant, I thought that I had been misreading it the whole time I've been here, identifying wrong rivers, wrong plains…and it made me think. It made me wonder if perhaps I had been wrong about where you found me, where I was leading you, wrong about everything I had told you. It made me wonder if what I had seen in the movies back home was different than what I'm experiencing now. It seems only reasonable." I gave him a few seconds to absorb this. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off and continued. "It got me thinking that if I had been wrong about all that, what else could I be wrong about? I could very well be leading you all into a false future. All of you are getting your hopes up, hoping that we can win this war, but then what? Should I change the outcome of this battle, and the rest of the future alter, I'm useless to help you. And what after that? I'll be nothing but dead weight to you."

Aragorn scrutinized me. "Is that what you've been worrying about?" I gave one small nod.

"I can't be sure about what I know," I whispered. "I can't be sure about the future. I can't help you anymore." Aragorn stroked my cheek with his thumb. He kneeled in front of me, pulling me down with him.

"Kendra, what you have told us this last week has been nothing short of life-saving," he said. I blinked. Had I really been here this long? I hadn't been keeping track. "Just knowing that you have information about the future has been so helpful to us. You are such a powerful asset to this battle, and wrong or not, you have the best idea of what's to come. And to me, that's better than nothing."

A single tear rolled down my cheek. "But what if I'm stuck here forever?" I stuttered, my voice cracking with fear at the thought. "If I change the future, I don't know what's going to happen then. Then how am I supposed to help?"

Aragorn brushed the drop of salty water away. "We've made it all the way from the Shire to well past Rivendell without your help," he reassured me. "You can check later how far that is, and you'll see that we're very capable people. Don't worry about the future. You can't have complete control over everything, you know. Don't call yourself dead weight; you make it sound like we'd just abandon you." He shifted his position and placed both hands on the sides of my face. "Listen, we'll stick by you for as long as you're here. Don't worry about the future, and don't doubt yourself. Focus on what's happening now."

I smiled. "Thank you, Aragorn," I breathed. "I guess…I just needed to be reminded."

_Reminded that you WERE being paranoid all along?_

I smiled. Yeah. I was.

I wrapped my arms around Aragorn's neck. He hugged me back, placing one hand on the back of my head. Don't be an idiot, Kendra. I laughed once through my nose. What irrational fears those were.

It's such a comforting feeling.

End Chapter 7

I didn't get to everything that I I did, then this chapter would have been REALLY long. It's probably best that I didn' everything exciting will now be in the next chapter.  
if everyone's been waiting for man kissie, ithat's in the next chapter too. :D  
please please review!


	8. Ambush

I'm having issues deciding how I want to space all the events out. well, this chapter features the orc-ambush on the way to helm's deep, which I WAS going to put in the previous chapter, but decided that it would work better if I put it in this one.  
in the old chapter 8, I'm awake already and romping around school for like,the last three chapters. how unexciting.  
**Warnings:** violence, fighting, man kissie, and such  
**Disclaimers:** don't own LOTR and whatnot

**Chapter 8: ambush**

An hour after my discussion with Aragorn and I was back with Gandalf and Théoden, making evacuation plans and routes from Rohan to Helm's Deep. I had my map splayed out across a table between the three of us, and both of them were studying it intently, muttering to each other and tracing the lines with their fingers. I was only there to interject when needed and to tell them "No, this would be better" or "Enter the city around this way" and such.

I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something, though.

Legolas and Gimli were leaning against a wall conversing quietly. Aragorn had left around ten minutes ago to talk to Eowyn and help out in the armory. Once I had tried to make the two of them a part of the conversation, but they both had insisted that they had nothing to contribute.

I shrugged and turned half of my attention back to the map. Prior to this sit-down, Théoden had already explained vehemently that he didn't want to call on Gondor for help, since they never came to help us or whatever. That was the end of that, and shortly after, Aragorn had glanced at Legolas and left. He had opened his mouth as if to say something in Elvish, I'd imagine, but when he didn't say anything, I suspected it was because Gandalf was within earshot and knew Elvish as well.

Oh, so I _wasn't_ the only one being kept out of their conversations. How nice.

Legolas didn't think anything unusual of it. Instead, he had nodded once to Aragorn before he left. I had barely caught it.

I didn't pay much attention to it; I had other things to deal with.

And it occurred to me…

"Hang on, I'll be right back," I said, getting up. I jogged out the door, and made a random turn. It also occurred to me that I had no idea where my room was. Théoden was _so kind_ to give the five of us a small room to hang out in temporarily while we were in Rohan, just to make preparations and rest up if we needed it, which I so often did. The first time I found the conference room was the result of wandering around aimlessly. Unfortunately, I hadn't cared much to keep track of my steps.

I passed several guards as I walked. I didn't think to ask them to help me. They probably didn't know who I was, given the looks I was getting, which would also mean that they wouldn't know where my room was, or that I was even staying here to begin with.

Even though I knew we wouldn't be staying here for very long. Théoden planned on evacuating the city within the next hour. He said he didn't think it was safe to keep everyone here for much longer than that. Again with the feeling that I was forgetting something.

It was kind of irritating.

Not only irritating, if it was something important that I was forgetting, then it was probably _bad_ as well. Start with the obvious: the Orcs are coming. An Uruk-hai army is in the works, as far as I know. And we're all going to rendezvous at Helm's Deep and unleash massive hell on each other. And somehow I've managed to work myself into the middle of all this.

Well that's just great.

_Now, now. Remember what Aragorn said._

Focus on the present, don't worry about the future, yeah I know. Despite what he said though, I can't help but worry. They _are_ relying on me to help them through this, there's no denying that. I wasn't worried about the pressure anymore. I wasn't really worried about anything at this point.

I stopped walking suddenly and turned around. I had passed the door. So wandering can help you find your way to the conference room _and_ to your chambers. Makes sense, I guess.

I pushed open the door. The room was relatively small. There was a twin bed in one corner, and a lit fire in the middle. There were a few furs splayed out on the ground, though a distance was kept between them and the small fire. I found what I was looking for on the bed: my backpack. I walked over to it and unzipped it. I was surprised to find it much more stocked than before. I guess one of the guys (or a guard) had taken the liberty of supplying ourselves while I was sleeping. I started pulling things out. Water skins, dried meats and fruits, breads, and other miscellaneous supplies.

When I was still in the conference room with Gandalf and Théoden, it had occurred to me that I could use the _book_ to help us. If I was useless, then maybe the book could offer me insight. But as I dug through my backpack, it occurred to me again that I left it in the forest where I was found.

I stared blankly at the bag. Why hadn't I remembered this _before_ I got here? What else could I be forgetting?

Frustrated, I zipped the bag back up and tossed it back on to the bed. I let out an angry sigh and turned for the door. I stepped around the fire—resisting the sudden urge to kick it onto one of the furs—to get to the door. It opened soundlessly, and I was about to step out when something caught my eye.

Blond hair.

I leaned out the door and saw Legolas walking down the hall away from me. At first I thought he was going back to the conference room where Gandalf and Théoden were. This arose a few questions, though. First, where did he go in the first place? To look for me? Secondly, he was going in the opposite direction I thought the conference room was. Was he taking a shortcut? But how could he know the castle so well already?

Curious (and against my better judgment), I followed. I had to remind myself that I found this room by walking around without a direct path and didn't quite pay much attention to where I was going. Following Legolas could very well lead me to my destination.

At least, that's what I was hoping.

For some reason, I found myself keeping a distance from Legolas. It made me feel like I was spying. It made me feel…stupid. Untrustworthy, too, I guess. But the curiosity was overwhelming, since upon observing Legolas, I noticed that he would glance around occasionally and not turn his head towards the guards that passed him by. After half a minute of walking, Legolas came to a stop outside a door. He knocked once. Quiet muttering from behind the door and it opened. A smile spread across the elf's face and he went inside.

I raised an eyebrow. Well, obviously he wasn't going back to the conference room. Now I have to find it again by myself. So I turned around and started to retrace my steps.

Five minutes later, I have to convince myself that I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I became aware of the fact that I was actually going in circles, which didn't really help me any. I realized I was outside my room when I leaned up against a wall, frustrated. I pointed to the door, then over my shoulder, down the hall. I had just seen Legolas walk down that hall and disappear into a room. Well, wherever he is, and whatever he's doing, he's bound to know how to get back to the conference room. I just naturally assumed that his sense of direction is so much more heightened than mine, being what he is. Maybe that's just a stereotype I just came up with just now.

I started off down the hall. It occurred to me, ten seconds later, that I didn't know which one of the doors he went through. There were only a few, so that narrowed things down, but it really would have helped if there was _just one_ door in this hallway.

Well, maybe I can listen. Legolas wouldn't have gone into a room with…someone and _not_ have a conversation, right?

_You don't know that._

Yeah, I know. I skipped over the first door; I know he didn't go through that one. So I moved on, pressing my ear to the second door down. There was silence. Either that, or the door was really thick. The latter seemed the least likely, so I continued on.

Third door, nothing.

Fourth door…hang on. I held my ear to the door. I could barely make out two voices.

"…barely get any time with you anymore," said a muffled voice. It sounded like Aragorn. Oh, so this is where he went? So much for the armory.

"We've had to keep a constant eye on Kendra, I didn't think we'd ever get some alone time together again," said Legolas. A few quiet laughs.

I was thoroughly confused. Well, it wasn't my place to eavesdrop on them further, since I already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. I felt awkward granted, but I needed to get back to the conference room. Gandalf was probably wondering where I was. I had already proved to myself that I was completely incapable of getting back to my destination by myself, so I figured I'd get Legolas to help me or something. I raised my hand to knock.

The door opened suddenly. Legolas was backing out of the door, and Aragorn was in front of him. Aragorn had his hands on both sides of the doorframe, while Legolas's hands were on the sides of Aragorn's face. Legolas was kissing Aragorn furiously while making up his mind whether to leave or to stay.

He bumped into me while backing up. Startled, he whirled around. My hand was still up, ready to knock on the door.

Cue awkward silence.

I lowered my hand as both of them stared at me. Aragorn coughed once and leaned against the doorway, and Legolas took one step away from him. All three of us shifted our eyes towards the ground.

"Look, I just wanted to get back to Gandalf and Théoden," I said. "I just thought I could get Legolas to help me find my way."

"Kendra…" Aragorn started. I held up my hand again.

"Hey, it's fine," I said. "Really. I just wanted to get back." Legolas looked to Aragorn. The ranger ran one hand through his unruly hair and nodded. Legolas moved away from the door so Aragorn could close it. He then signaled for me to follow him, so I did.

Several seconds later, he decided to break the silence. "I didn't mean for you to see that," he said. "Neither of us did."

"I said it was fine," I replied. "I really don't care what kind of connections you and Aragorn have. Whatever makes you happy, you know?" I smiled up at him. He tried to return the smile, but it didn't even look half-right.

We spent the rest of the walk in silence. I didn't know what else to say to reassure him. So instead, I focused on the walk. I made a note of it to remember how to get from my room to the conference area for future reference, should I end up needing to make the trip back again. Somehow I doubted it, given that Théoden was evacuating the city soon.

_You still need to go get your backpack._

Oh that's right. Okay then. At least I'll know where I'm going the next time I wander off by myself.

Legolas came to a stop by an open doorway. The sounds of a crackling fire told me that we had arrived at the conference room. I turned to face him.

"Well, thanks for helping me find my way back," I said. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be walking around somewhere." I bit my lip, realizing that that probably would have been the more preferable happening for both of us. He didn't look at me. I sighed.

"Look, Legolas?" I said. He turned his eyes on me. "Trust me, I feel no more or no less awkward than you do, and I'm really sorry that this happened. But like I said, it doesn't matter to me. Hey, I'll keep your secret. Okay?" What else could I say to reassure him?

Legolas swept my into a hug, then, catching me off guard. I guess I didn't have to say anything more.

"Thank you," he whispered. He released me as quickly as he had taken me and headed off back down the hall, not pausing to look at me. I took a deep breath.

"You're _welcome,_" I muttered as he rounded the corner. All things cleared, I turned and walked into the conference room where Gandalf, Théoden, and Gimli still were.

**.xXx.**

A half hour later, Rohan palace was shrinking into the distance. Gandalf couldn't keep me from walking this time, though he had insisted that I strap my backpack to one of the horses so I wouldnt' have to bear the weight. What with the guys _and_ Eowyn walking alongside the horses, I didn't want to feel outcasted. That and I missed walking with them.

Legolas had talked to Aragorn and assured him that everything was okay and they could resume their relationship under the condition that they be more careful and aware. The guys seemed to enjoy my company, and even worked to make me a part of their conversation without having to resort to asking me about my world again. I rather appreciated that.

Again with the feeling that I was forgetting something.

"…your mind?"

I snapped my attention to Aragorn. "Come again?"

"I said, what's on your mind?" he repeated. "You look deep in thought."

"Do I?" I said. "Sorry. It's this irritating feeling, like I'm forgetting something important." He smiled.

"I'm sure you'll remember it eventually," he said, patting me on the shoulder.

"I just hope it wasn't _too_ important," I said, shrugging. I inhaled deeply. Walking didn't seem to be that hard on me this time; I was still on my feet. This lapse in memory wasn't worrying me, as it happens all the time…for some reason. But previous experience has assured me that I always remember whatever it is that I forget. Looking on the bright side, I decided to enjoy the moment. I finally got to walk with the guys again, I was strong enough not to pass out, and once we get to Helm's Deep, I had the chance to actually do some good.

I tried to recall what it was I had forgotten by thinking of things that happen on the way to Helm's Deep in the second movie. I glanced at Aragorn and Eowyn. They were supposed to have a conversation about his necklace—

Hmm. Aragorn wasn't _wearing_ a necklace. I recalled he was supposed to always be wearing that silver jewel he got from Arwen as a reminder of her wherever he went. But I had to ask myself if he was still with Arwen, or if he was even with her to begin with. His relationship with Legolas certainly has brought up many questions. Too bad I got here after they had already left Rivendell. I suppose I _could_ just _ask_ him about her. Then again, it wasn't really my place, and if anyone heard me asking about Arwen, an answer other than "Yes, we're together" could arouse some suspicion.

At least, that's what _I _would think.

_Well, you've seen the movies. Of course you know what's happening._

And such. Yeah, okay.

Gimli was riding on the horse behind me, conversing with Eowyn. I wasn't paying much attention to what they were saying.

"How are you holding up?" Aragorn asked me. I looked up at him and he had a gentle smile on his face. I shrugged once.

"I'm doing all right," I replied. "Why, worried I'm going to pass out again?" He chuckled.

"With the way you've been lately, I can't be too sure," he said. Well, at least he cares. I bit my lip.

"Hey, Aragorn," I started. "I have a question about Arw—."

The horse behind me reared back suddenly and shrieked, throwing Gimli off of it. I jumped and whirled around. I ran to Gimli as Legolas tried to calm the horse. Eowyn was beside me.

"What happened?" I said, my voice shaking slightly. Eowyn seemed just as bewildered as I was.

"I—I don't know," she said. "We were just talking, and then…I didn't see anything that may have provoked her." I looked to Legolas, who was petting the horse, soothing her. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Of course!" Gimli replied, getting to his feet. "No creature more resilient than a dwarf!" I grabbed one of his hands and helped him up as he started telling a story relating to what he just said. I stood slowly, focusing. I could hear a deep rumble from the other side of a tall hill. Other horses were starting to freak.

"Aragorn…?"

A shrill cry from over the hill. And then it hit me like a blow to the chest.

What I had forgotten turned out to be _extremely _important.

"ARAGORN!" I screamed. I saw him standing beside Legolas. Both of them turned to look at me. "_It's an ambush!"_

Beast-like dogs leaped out from over the hill, a small army of Orcs beside them. They were charging at us. People started screaming and running, but I was frozen. How could I _forget_ something like this? I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me, but I was panicking. I felt so responsible for this.

Aragorn was suddenly beside me, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Kendra, you have to get away from here," he said, his voice lined with urgency. I looked around. I could see Théoden on a horse telling Eowyn that she couldn't stay, despite her insisting that she could fight. "Listen to me. I want to you go with Eowyn. She'll take you all to Helm's Deep. We'll stay here." He started to run towards Legolas, but I snapped out of my shocked state in time to grab his arm. He whirled around.

"Go _with_ them?" I said, my voice shrill. "Are you _crazy_? I can help!"

"I will not argue this with you," he said, sternly. "Go with Eowyn. Quickly!" He broke out of my grip and ran off, tearing his sword from its sheath.

I was torn. Eowyn was leaving, herding the villagers with her as she went. If I didn't leave now, I'd be stuck here. By disobeying Aragorn, I could save some of the men. But if I went with what he said, I could maintain his trust and keep my head.

I scanned the area. The Orcs and their beasts had intermingled with the men and weapons were clashing. There was something else I was forgetting. I looked around.

And then I saw the edge of a cliff.

Another blow to the chest. This helped me to make up my mind. By disobeying Aragorn, I'd probably lose his trust, but by saving him from falling off the cliff, I'd likely win it back.

I ran into the chaos. I bent down to grab the sword of a fallen soldier and it occurred to me that Aragorn had promised to give me training with a sword once we reached Rohan. Well Rohan was well behind us and I still can't swing this thing to save my life. So…_why_ was I running around with it?

I was amidst the opposing forces now, looking around frantically for someone that I knew. I saw Legolas several yards to my left and hurried to him. An Orc intercepted me. I swung the sword blindly, but all I did was brush its weapon away. So I jumped back a step before kicking it in the face.

_You kicked it. REALLY?_

Street fighting is all I know how to do! The Orc looked back at me, snarling. Black blood was streaming out of its nose. Oh. I'm screwed. Panicking, I stabbed it in the gut. It roared at me. Well, it wasn't dying.

Think back to the first movie. Aragorn was fighting the Orc leader in the forest and was caught in this situation. What did he do?

Oh yeah.

I ripped the sword out of its middle. I swung the sword towards its neck, but it was already bringing its own weapon towards me.

A dull _thump_ and it collapsed. My sword caught air. Bewildered, I examined the Orc. It was lying facedown in the grass with an arrow in its back. I looked up to see Legolas running towards me.

"What are you doing here?" he said. "I thought Aragorn told you to go with the others!"

"He did, but listen, I have a damn good reason for staying behind," I said. "I can save Aragorn!" Legolas looked me over.

"What?"

"I'll get to that later. Look out!" Before the last two words were even out of my mouth, he had already straightened up, pulling arrows out of the quiver strapped to his back. I ducked and he unleashed a barrage of arrows in to the Orcs charging us.

"Well you're not going to catch up to Eowyn now," he said. "You're coming with me." He grabbed my wrist and yanked me off with him. I wasn't sure where we were going since I couldn't really see anything amidst the Orcs and men. I was tripping over carcasses, and the sword I was clinging on to was slowing me down. So I tossed it.

_You know, that sword was probably your only chance of surviving this._

No, I'm pretty sure that _Legolas_ is my only chance of surviving this.

"Legolas, where are we going?" I asked as we continued to run.

"Find Aragorn," he said. "You said you can save him? What's happening?"

Oh that's right! "We need to find him first," I answered. "I'm not sure it'll be necessary." Despite what Aragorn had said to me, I still had doubts. Maybe he wouldn't get dragged over the cliff (or nearly) and we wouldn't have to pull off a rescue attempt. And if he did find himself in a situation that would compromise his life, I wouldn't want to have to deal with Legolas and the aftershock.

"Legolas!" Gimli shouted from a short distance away. "I'm at four already!" Ah yes. The Elf and the Dwarf and their silly competition.

"I'm at eighteen!" Legolas shouted back.

"_What_?" Gimli ran off, brandishing his axe, ranting things about dwarves being outdone by elves, never hearing the end of it and such. I glanced at Legolas as he pulled me along, dodging soldiers and bodies.

"Are you really at eighteen?"

"Give or take."

I smiled. I would have started laughing if I wasn't so scared stiff. Every now and then, Legolas had to let to of my hand to shoot some Orcs, and I would hide behind him and pray that the Orcs wouldn't come near me, since I no longer had a weapon. I swear, when we find Aragorn, I'm gonna smack him upside the head for promising and not delivering fencing lessons.

"There!" I shouted. Aragorn was several yards away from the cliff, swinging his sword at anything that moved. Legolas reached for me as he started to move towards him, but at that moment, we were both tackled to the ground. I hit the dirt hard and bounced, coming to a stop when I rolled into a body. I shoved it away and looked around. One of the dog-beasts had jumped us and was now circling Legolas, who was already back on his feet. Another surge of adrenaline. There was no way that Legolas could fight that thing with just a bow and a few arrows.

The beast lunged at Legolas, and I gasped. Turns out, I was right. He _didn't_ have much in the way of defense. All he could do was pull his bow in front of him and used it as a barrier as he was forced back down to the ground. Legolas was lying on his back, and the beast was on top of him, the bow cracking between its teeth. I frantically searched the ground for a weapon.

The body I had rolled into happened to be a dead Orc. Well, perfect! I rolled it over to find its sword-type weapon beneath it. I grabbed it.

_CRACK._

I snapped my head back to Legolas. The bow was not-so-snugly between the beast's teeth, and it was _breaking_. I had to do something.

I heaved the sword off the ground and stumbled towards Legolas. Another loud snap from the bow. Legolas had a foot on the beast's belly, trying to shove it off of him, but it wouldn't budge. I lifted the sword off the ground, over my head, and drove it into the back of its neck.

The beast sagged a little bit, which gave Legolas enough of an opening to kick it off of him. It snarled and tried to stand, so he drew an arrow and stabbed it between the eyes. I tossed the sword away. Legolas stood up, staring at his bow. It was riddled with deep cracks and teeth marks. It was kind of sad, really.

I looked around for Aragorn. He was still in the same general area, but he was being charged by another dog-beast. This one was being ridden by a lanky-looking Orc. My eyes widened.

"This is the one!" I said, though fully aware that Legolas probably had no idea what I was talking about. Legolas shoved me out of the way suddenly and started attacking oncoming Orcs, stabbing at them with arrows, though he still clung to his bow. I looked back at Aragorn. He had just knocked off the rider, but was trampled by the beast. And something went wrong, just like it had in the movie. His glove became tangled in its reins, and the beast continued running.

Right towards the cliff.

"LEGOLAS!" I shouted. "The beast! SHOOT IT!" Legolas looked from me, then to the cliff. I wasn't sure why I told him to shoot it, since his bow might as well have been broken. It might have been because he was the only person standing near me that I knew, or because I knew that he would do something, regardless of whether or not he had a weapon. So I was rather surprised to see him take the arrow he was holding and fit it into his bow. It took him half a second to aim, draw back, and release it.

A loud snapping noise and the bow shattered into two pieces. A loud shriek-like howl and the beast fell, a few feet away from the cliff. It skidded another foot, and Legolas was already running towards them before it had stopped moving. I ran after him. By the time I had caught up, Legolas had pulled out a knife and cut Aragorn's hand free of the beast's reins. Aragorn was conversing quietly with Legolas before he saw me. He stopped talking and started to stand, his gaze still focused on me. I sighed.

"Okay, I know what you're going to say," I said. "Yes, I disobeyed you—."

"Obviously."

"But! If I hadn't, you'd be somewhere down _there_," I continued, waving my hand towards the edge of the cliff. Aragorn peeked over the cliff's edge, then straightened.

"And I suppose you're to tell me that you saved me from a nasty fall."

"Well…I did."

Legolas put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "I'm no happier about this situation than you are, but I for one am grateful that she didn't listen to you." He stroked Aragorn's cheek lightly with the back of his hand. "What would I do if she _had_ gone with the others?"

A squelching sound from behind us, and we turned. Gimli had driven his axe into the last dog-beast amidst the surprisingly still battle grounds. The ambush was over. Aragorn started walking away from us to find Théoden. I glanced up at Legolas. He returned the glance and started after the ranger.

I felt really effing stupid. There was _no way_ I could have forgotten about something so ridiculously important like an Orc ambush. There was _no way_ it could have slipped my mind. But it did. I just wanted to know how.

And how am I supposed to feel about Aragorn's reaction to me? I didn't even know if he was angry with me or not.

Théoden, no longer riding on a horse, was discussing what to do next with Aragorn. I could hear them as Legolas and I neared. Théoden said he knew the rest of the way to Helm's Deep.

"Bring what you can salvage," he said. "The horses we have left will hold. Take the injured. Leave the dead." He headed off. The surviving soldiers were already rounding up the remaining horses.

Things were starting to feel wrong again.

**.xXx.**

"So few of you have returned," Eowyn said quietly. There was activity inside Helm's Deep. People were being reunited, others were lingering by the doors, waiting for the other soldiers to appear.

"The ambush was strong, but they were overcome," Théoden answered, walking past her.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were standing together. I could hear them discussing the battle plans. Though it didn't really sound like they knew what to expect.

"Saruman will most likely know that we're here by now," I said. The three of them turned to look at me. "They'll attack either tonight or tomorrow." Aragorn turned his body towards me.

"Legolas, Gimli," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "I would like a word with Kendra alone, please." I swallowed thickly. Legolas and Gimli exchanged confused looks, but headed off in the direction Théoden had gone. Aragorn advanced on me, slowly, deliberately. Involuntarily, I took one step back. He stopped walking and cocked his head. Then, he held his hand out to me. I blinked. It took a few seconds for me to grasp what he was doing: gesturing for me to come closer. I took a few steps forward. Aragorn placed his hands on my shoulders.

"What was it that you forgot?" he said. I shifted uncomfortably.

"The ambush," I answered. "I forgot all about it."

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"What? I have no idea," I said, taken aback by his question. "Everything's been wrong lately. My senses have been going on and off, and now I'm losing my memory…You told me not to doubt my abilities, but I can't help it."

"How much do you know about this impending battle?"

"Everything I said I knew, back in Rohan."

Aragorn shifted. "Kendra, I am glad that you contributed during the ambush, and have contributed since we found you. But this battle will be dangerous, so I'm asking you to—."

"Stay behind this time?" I finished. "I can't do that. I actually remember what's supposed to happen, I actually know what's going to come. Aragorn, you guys _need_ me. I don't expect you to let me fight, but I want you to let me be a _weapon_." Aragorn stared at me for a while.

"We will discuss this later," he said finally. "I don't want you to endanger yourself for us."

"This is my choice."

"But it's up to Théoden whether to allow it or not," he said. He knelt in front of me, his hands still on my shoulders. "I do appreciate what you've done. I can't say that I'm happy that you disobeyed me, but I also can't say that I'm not happy about it. So don't think I'm angry with you." He stood up.

"So…what now?" I asked.

"What else?" he replied. "We have a battle to get ready for."

End Chapter 8

Kind of long…but man kissie was promised and delivered. i do hope you all appreciate that.  
towards the end, I didn't know how to end it, and Aragorn started sounding unusually OOC. so...sorry if everything got lame towards the end.  
suggestions? comments? critique? review and tell me!


	9. Battle

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING.  
I'm kind of making it up as I go...there's no surprise there. sorry, guys, bear with me please.  
**Warnings:** epic battle scene! Violence, probably some language but I'm not sure.  
**Disclaimers:** don't own LOTR,etc…  
**Reviews:** haven't been getting any…I would very much appreciate it if I could, you know…get you guys to review my story _please_?  
enjoy the story, then.

**Chapter 9: battle **

Aragorn had run the idea of me staying with them during the battle through with Théoden. Needless to say, he wasn't happy with it. He insisted that the women and children were to stay hidden safely in the mountains while the men were out fighting.

"But you have to remember, _I_ won't be fighting," I said. "I don't know how to to save my life. I myself will be a weapon, though, and I really think you guys would benefit from my being there."

"Her knowledge has helped us in the past," Aragorn said, "and during the ambush, as well. Keep in mind what she said in Rohan. She knows what we're up against better than the rest of us."

I don't want to have to be a bitch about this and refuse to hand over info unless I get up there on that wall with them. I'm not spoiled.

Really.

**.xXx.**

It took a while, but Théoden had finally agreed to have me alongside the men during battle, under the condition that I learn how to defend myself. Aragorn then took me aside to _finally_ teach me how to fight with a sword. This came with the agreement I had to give Théoden, though, that I would use it _only_ to defend myself. But I was still contributing, and I liked that. I was finally feeling useful.

Twenty minutes in to our lesson and Aragorn told me to take a break.

"You're doing rather well," he said. "Just remember, when someone stabs at you, block it. Don't try to retaliate, because you won't hit them in time." Aragorn had almost speared me when I did that. Not sure why I didn't block…maybe it's because fighting always gets me worked up, since I don't fight often. "We'll work more on blocking later, all right?"

"Definitely," I replied. I would need to know how to defend myself more than I would need to know how to fight, given what Théoden had said.

"Don't solely rely on defense, though," Aragorn continued. "In the case that you are confronted by an Orc, you will most likely need to fight it, as it will not practice restraint on you."

"They're killing machines, got it," I said. "Defend, block, attack. Anything else?" He smiled.

"I think you've got it," he said. "Ready for round two?"

"Bring it." I jumped up, grabbing my sword. It had become somewhat lighter since I had started fighting. I figured it was because I was getting used to it.

Twenty seconds later, and Aragorn had me under his boot, the tip of his sword on my neck.

Well, maybe I wasn't as used to it as I would have hoped.

When Aragorn let me up, I rolled onto my knees, grabbing my wrist. There was a sharp twinge of pain in it. Aragorn had clashed swords with me, and mine twisted off at an angle. Instead of dropping it, I had tried to hold on to it, which only ended up twisting my wrist with it. Either way, I dropped my sword.

Aragorn was kneeling beside me then. "You all right?" he said. "Another lesson, when that happens, just drop it. Dodge your opponent or incapacitate them some other way long enough for you to pick up your weapon again."

"_Thanks_ for that," I said through my teeth. "I'm fine. I don't need to rest, I want to keep going." I stood up and rolled my wrist around.

"You may have been a bit _too_ focused that time," Aragorn said. "Yes, there is such a thing. If you think too much, you'll end up dead."

That made sense, actually. Your brain can't keep up with so many thoughts, so you just don't think at all. Kinda like marching band. I find that whenever I march, I don't think. When I think, I mess up. All right, I've got this down!

"Got it," I said. "Let's go."

**.xXx.**

My wrist made a quick recovery, so I had continued to spar with Aragorn. Once, I had him pinned, and I had been overwhelmed with a sense of pride and victory. But it got to my head, and Aragorn almost killed me in our following round. This earned me another lecture.

I wondered if I would survive the battle.

Speaking of the battle…soon after I finished my lesson with Aragorn, Théoden took me aside to test my abilities. I stayed true to what I told them back in Rohan, all the stuff I said I knew. Théoden tested that, asking me questions and such.

"Just how many are we up against in this battle?" he inquired. I sighed, thinking.

"Something like ten thousand," I answered. "We have like, three hundred." Théoden stared at me for three incredulous seconds before bowing his head and groaning.

"What are their weaknesses?"

"Their readiness to attack, straightforward fighting," I said. "There are weaknesses in their armor as well. But they have strength in numbers."

"Will anyone come to our aid?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Do we win?"

I gave Théoden a look. "With our numbers? Not likely."

"Do not worry about the numbers, Théoden," Aragorn said. "I have confidence in this one." He put his hands on my shoulders. "She had mentioned that casualties would be great on our part, but she also mentioned that she would be able to save many lives."

I said I knew how to save Haldir, I didn't really mention anyone else…

_Do you even know when this battle will be?_

Um…no.

_Don't you think you should tell them?_

Not really. I said the battle would come either tonight or tomorrow. Even if it doesn't, we'll still be ready for it. Well, as far as I know. So would _I _be prepared when this battle came? Being on the wall with the guys was really something of a privilege, and I had to wonder how isolated and out of place I would feel.

More than usual?

Heh.

**.xXx.**

An hour and a half later I caught myself crying again. I was in a corner somewhere. I wasn't sure how I got there, or how long I had been there. I only knew that I was there at all because I heard Aragorn saying something to me. I was startled to see him when I looked up. He was staring at me, somewhat bewildered. He knelt in front of me.

"Are we ever going to have an encounter that doesn't involve you breaking down every time?" he asked quietly, stroking the side of my face with one hand. I stared at him with wide eyes.

"How…how long have I been here?" I breathed. Aragorn cocked his head.

"I don't know," he said. "At least half an hour. I've been looking for you."

I gaped.

"What are you crying for this time?"

I shook my head slowly. "I have no idea," I said. "Aragorn, I don't even know how I got here. What the hell's happening?" Aragorn sighed through his nose.

"I can't say that I know," he said.

"How can I just wander off somewhere and start bawling without even realizing it?" I said, my voice rising. "I don't know how much longer I can take this! I'm losing my mind, I—."

My face was suddenly buried in Aragorn's chest and I was gripping the back of his shirt rather tightly. He had one hand on my back and one hand stroking my hair.

I was breaking down. And I'm supposed to fight like this?

Oh right. I won't actually be doing any fighting.

**.xXx.**

Another hour later, and I was patrolling along the wall with Legolas. He had aquired a new bow, and spent the first twenty minutes or so on the wall just breaking it in. I had already told him about the weakness under the bridge, and he said he would keep an eye out for any signs of attack on it. And no surprise that this assurance wasn't enough to calm my nerves.

I could actually _feel_ the tension hanging in the air. Several times I thought I heard the rumble of ten thousand pairs of feet marching up over the hill, but turned out to merely be distant thunder. And all that worrying for naught.

The two of us retreated back into Helm's Deep after twenty minutes. I was pretty much done with waiting, and Legolas wanted to see Aragorn. There were other people patrolling around the wall anyway. They had assured us that they would notify us if they saw anything bad.

We made our way down the stairs down to the main hall and to the armory, where we had been informed that Aragorn was. On our way to the armory, we saw a large group of people heading towards the back. Upon closer inspection, I identified every one of them to be a woman or a small child. I assumed the back was where the entrance into the mountains was. And to think, I came so close to being in that mass, getting crammed into a hollowed out chunk of rock worrying and awaiting the fates of the three most important men in my life (so far). I think I would have gone crazy.

Thank goodness for my "ability" to guess the future.

I spotted Aragorn just outside of the armory, sitting on some steps and talking to a young boy. He was holding the boy's sword and examining it, asking questions every now and then. I couldn't hear them, since by the time we got there, the boy had taken his sword back and left.

"It doesn't bother you at all that boys as young as him are subjected to fight in this war?" I asked. "Even I have morals about this."

"It's not up to me," Aragorn said. "Trust me, if it were, then no one that young would have to be up there for this. But you more than anyone know what we're up against. Surely you can also understand the need we have for as many soldiers as possible."

"Well, of course I do," I said. "But having them in the battle isn't going to make much of a difference. We need…"

I felt like I got punched in the chest. I had mentioned that aid was going to come, so why hadn't I told them _who_ was going to come?

I made a break for the front gate.

"Kendra?" Aragorn called after me. I heard footsteps start up behind me. I didn't slow down for them to catch up; they caught up to me soon enough.

Just as soon as Aragorn had caught up to me, a horn sounded just outside.

"I recognize that," Legolas said from my right. "That is no Orc horn."

"It's the elves!" I nearly shouted with excitement.

"Oh, is that why you're running?" Aragorn inquired, grinning.

No sooner than we had reached the gate, the elves were already marching into Helm's Deep, longbows in hand. Théoden was coming down the steps when we reached him. One of the more prominent looking elves stepped forward, hands extended. He gave a short speech of some sort that I couldn't hear. Aragorn ran forward to greet him.

"You are _most_ welcomed here, my friend," he said. Haldir smiled.

I would have been jumping around and squealing if I wasn't so sure that we'd be absolutely screwed over even _with_ their help. I was meeting the elves! So cool and sophisticated, so suave…oh it was a cool feeling just being here.

Seeing Haldir reminded me of another inevitable event that I could prevent. Legolas was still standing next to me, so I tugged on his sleeve. "I can save Haldir's life."

He scrunched his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Some evil twist of fate would have it that Haldir dies during the battle," I said. "I can save him. Rather, anyone can save him so long as they just cover him the whole time."

"I don't know how much attention I can give him when we're fighting, but I'll do my best," Legolas replied. "Inform Aragorn and Haldir of this. I'm sure they'd both like to know."

"Of course," I said. "In the meantime, we should all get back on the wall."

"Why?"

"The battle's about to start."

**.xXx.**

I barely noticed when it started to rain. I only knew it was raining because I could hear it _plink_ing on the armor of every man around me, and I could hear the hissing as it hit lit torches. I barely felt it on my head at all.

Naturally I had told Aragorn and Haldir of what was to become of the elf's fate should he be not careful. Now all three of them (that includes Legolas) have their eyes open.

I had uh…been given a change in attire. It so turns out that denim jeans don't protect you very well against Orc blades. So in place of my jeans and shirt, I was given a suit of chain mail and clothes more appropriate to this time setting. It was heavy. Like, more so than I had anticipated. In addition to the weight of the chain mail and my new clothes, I also had to bear the weight of the sword I was given. So much for being used to it.

A deep rumbling from over the mountain. This time, I was sure that it wasn't just thunder.

A sea of Uruk-hai, endless to the eye, emerged over the hill, brandishing weapons, shields, and torches. All of the men started muttering to each other (maybe deciding on a battle cry?), and Aragorn started shouting instructions in Elvish.

I feel really out of place.

Aragorn shouted something else as the Uruk-hai came to a stop some dozen yards from the wall, and the men in front fitted arrows into their bows. I kind of wished Legolas had taught me archery too.

Legolas started saying things in Elvish too.

"Weak at the neck, and beneath the arm," I translated quietly. My legs were shaking. The Uruk-hai started roaring. Oh this was so much more epic than just seeing it on the big screen. I mean, I thought I felt them spitting on me from way down there, but it was probably just the rain.

Aragorn gave one more loud shout and a barrage of arrows hailed down on the Uruk-hai. And they started charging. See, to me, wouldn't it make more sense to have like, _everyone_ trained in archery? Then just do a battalion-type thing and have different rows fire at once. Reload faster, take down more bad guys? Or you could just have everyone Hail Mary at the same time. I'll bet you can hit a lot of Orc with a move like that. Why are all the archers in the back, too? Well, I guess—

"LADDERS!"

Oh, fuck.

"Well finally!" Gimli shouted.

Um, no. _Not _finally.

"_Aragorn?"_ I screamed, panic rising. "ARAGORN?" I spotted him towards the back with the archers. I had to push my way through everyone else to get to him. I found myself shoving people out of my way the closer I got to him.

He was staring at me a little bit awkwardly. "Change your mind?" he asked.

My heart was hammering. Somehow I found it in me to shake my head. "N-no," I half-lied. "Just…scared?"

Aragorn looked me over, cocking his head. "Okay," he said. "Stay close to me, then."

I was half-hidden behind Aragorn when the Uruk-hai started coming over the wall.

Oh sweet Jesus.

"Aragorn?" I said. "What do I do? What _should_ I do?"

He drew his sword. "Draw your weapon. Defend and/or fight like I taught you. Don't get in _too_ much trouble."

I pulled my sword out of its sheath and brandished it in front of myself defensively. Damn my city girl characterization. Street fighting won't get me out of this mess this time.

"How much more trouble can I be in if I'm already on the wall?" I muttered.

And suddenly there were as many Uruk-hai on the wall as there were men. I got an adrenaline rush, and that canceled out _some_ of the fear. At any rate, I wasn't shaking anymore. I had to keep Théoden's words in mind. I wasn't supposed to fight. Remember what Aragorn said. Don't be stupid. Just because you can allegedly see into the future doesn't mean you're a hero.

Right.

Aragorn darted away from me suddenly to go help out a comrade in danger. I guess he expected me to follow him, so I started after. He had gotten surprisingly far from me in such a short time, and as I struggled to keep up, I was intercepted by an Uruk-hai.

Oh. Well…so much for the adrenaline rush.

It was uh…much bigger up close than I had anticipated. I didn't really like that. Maybe it wouldn't look so intimidating if I hacked off three feet of its legs. All of my friends are taller than me, and I keep telling them that they wouldn't be so high and mighty if I took half of their legs.

I blocked the attack the Uruk-hai directed towards me and ducked as it swung its weapon again. I used this opportunity to cut one of its legs in half at the knee. It roared before stumbling and falling.

"Oh YEAH!" I shouted. "Who's gonna mess with me _now_?"

_Remember what Aragorn said! Don't let it get to your head, or you'll end up dead._

Oh that's right. So I killed the Uruk-hai and ran after Aragorn.

So he and Théoden both said that I wasn't allowed to fight and I could only defend myself. One would argue that in cases like this, fighting _is_ defending.

There were at least fifteen Uruk-hai separating me from Aragorn. Damn my slow reflexes! There's no way I can cut through all of those. I decided I had to try anyway. In the process I'd be contributing, right? I considered engaging one of the Uruk-hai in battle with me, but I had to remind myself that I couldn't unless it attacked me first.

So I kicked one in the shins.

_I'd call that attacking it._

I say it's not. But that certainly did get its attention. It growled intimidatingly at me, so I flipped it off. I wonder if they knew what that meant. But whether they knew or not, it tried to attack me. It was much bigger than the last one I fought, so I had to come up with a plan to kill it.

If watching wrestling on TV has taught me anything, it's that you can push/kick your opponent into your tag team partner on the outside, who will then deliver a cheap shot to him. That just might take them out long enough for you to take the pin.

I jumped back a step, dodging an attack. I took another step backwards, then came charging back with a strong dropkick to its gut. It impaled on a soldier holding a spear. The soldier dropped the spear and glanced at me. I grinned.

Well, that took care of one. Fourteen more to go. Can't provoke an attack, can't attack them myself. How do they expect me to stay alive?

So I just charged on through the mass.

How do _I _expect _myself_ to stay alive?

I decided that if an Uruk-hai so much as even raised its sword in my general direction, that was grounds for potential attack and therefore I was allowed to kill it. So here I am, slicing my way through a small mass of Uruk-hai, but Aragorn had already moved to somewhere else.

Um…what?

I looked around for Legolas. He was far off behind me. Great. So I can either look for Aragorn or go _back though_ the mass to get to Legolas. I opted for choice number one. I looked around for Aragorn, and saw him at the back wall. I was about to call out to him, but then he and Gimli both jumped over it.

Um…_WHAT?_

Okay, let's go back to Legolas then.

I turned around and started cutting through a new mass of Uruk-hai. I could barely see Legolas's bright blond hair amidst the black armor of every Uruk-hai around me. I pushed past enemies and soldiers and reached out for Legolas. He was busy taking care of his own problems and didn't seem to notice me.

"Legol—!"

A backhand to my face and I hit the wall. I promptly crumpled to my knees. I looked up to see an Uruk-hai looming over me and rolled out of the way of an attack. I sliced one of its feet off, and then speared it when it fell.

I nearly grabbed the wall to help myself get up, but I had to remind myself that Uruk-hai were still coming over it by the hundreds. So I couldn't stand for now. But I wouldn't have that, so I stabbed the ground with my sword and put all of my weight on it. Slowly, I started to pull myself up.

Blond hair.

At first I thought Legolas had come to my aid, to defend me, to shelter me from attack. But it wasn't Legolas. In fact, the blond hair I saw actually belonged to Haldir. He was several feet away from me, taking on at least three Uruk-hai at once. I racked my brain for what was to happen before he was killed.

It hit me. I frantically searched the grounds. Trying to pick out one specific Uruk-hai was like looking for a needle in a really messed up haystack. Good thing that this one made himself kind of obvious.

This one was the torch runner.

"LEGOLAS!" I screamed. A few meters off, Legolas turned to look at me. "The torch! _Take him down!_"

I had to wish at this moment, that my memory would keep up with the events going on around me. I had to wish that my memory would arrive just a little sooner than the event so I could take care of it more efficiently. The torch runner was more than half way to the bridge by now.

Legolas unleashed arrow after arrow into the Uruk-hai. Other archers joined in, riddling the runner with arrows. It collapsed at the mouth of the bridge.

And then it tossed the torch.

Oh, well that's just great. Really.

I dove to the side as the bridge exploded, sending stones and burning shrapnel soaring into the air. I hadn't been given a shield, what with everyone worrying that it would weigh me down, so I covered myself as best I could with my arms. I was hit with some small stones, but nothing more; I was too far away from the bridge. I stood up to watch the Uruk-hai pouring into the city like ants.

Really messed up ants.

I called out to Legolas again and held my hand out to him when he looked around to face me. He took about three steps towards me when we were both intercepted by an enemy soldier. Legolas shot an arrow into the one in front of me so I wouldn't have to deal with it. Just as it crumpled, I saw something else. Something much more terrifying than some oversized Uruk-hai.

I saw Haldir on his knees.

"Oh god, _NO!_"

I scrambled to find my footing, then raced towards him, pushing blindly past Uruk-hai and allies alike. I didn't even bother to stop and kill anyone. I didn't have much time. There was a sword-wielding Uruk-hai standing behind him.

"_**NO!**_"

I took a desperate move and leaped five or six feet, dropkicking Haldir in the arm. Haldir rolled out of the way, and the Uruk-hai slashed the ground with his sword, several inches from my legs. It snarled angrily, and tried to wrench its sword from the ground, only to find that it was stuck. It spotted me then, and roared in my face before grabbing me by the throat.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

It roared at me once more, then choke slammed me into the wall, knocking an Uruk-hai trying to climb over back down to the ground.

I crumpled once more, and hurriedly tried to get to my knees. I grabbed at my head, trying to stifle the throbbing pain. The Uruk-hai grabbed and fistful of my hair and pulled me to my feet. I kicked it once in the gut and it released me, staggering backwards a few steps. Once it regained its balance, it came charging back at me. I tried jumping, but I tripped.

Its forearm connected with the side of my head and I hit the wall. Legolas shouted something and jumped towards me.

I rolled over the side of the wall.

I was freefalling towards the ground, my hair dancing with the wind. Through my hair, I could see Legolas leaning over the wall and reaching towards me with one hand, screaming my name.

I barely felt the ground when everything went black.

End Chapter 9

I seriously experienced at _least_ three writer's block while writing out the first half of this. writer's block needs to go freaking die already.  
Thanks to Lacy for helping me through the first writer's block I encountered while writing this chapter!  
Thanks also to John for helping me through the third and fifth writer's block I encountered (I think it was those. The numbers might have been higher) and being supportive throughout!  
I didn't plan on it being so long.  
I also didn't plan on putting this off so much. The writer's blocks and school starting up again added to my procrastination, which ended up extending the time it took me to write this. Sorry again.  
Review pleeeeeaaaasee!


	10. Awaken

Well, this is last chapter of my newly revised "Into Middle Earth". I thank you all for staying with me through this interesting endeavor. Reviews/critique would be very much appreciated, seeing as how this is the last chapter and all.  
**Warnings:** none, some language.  
**Disclaimers:** stuff I said before.  
**Copyrights:** please see chapter 1  
enjoy the story!

**Chapter 10: awaken**

I bolted upright. It was bright, and I couldn't feel my feet. I found it hard to breathe, and my arms were tingly.

_Am…am I dead?_

What had happened? I was on the wall, and it was raining. I was fighting some Uruk-hai and tried to keep up with Aragorn and Legolas. Then I was knocked over the wall. If I'm dead, then that would explain why.

I could hear a buzzing, a murmur around me. _Damn_ that light is bright. I held up my right hand to shield my eyes. But when I saw my arm, it seemed that I wasn't wearing my 15th century attire and chain mail. I was wearing a light blue shirt, and there were _tubes_ in my arm, in my wrists.

What had _happened_?

Maybe the battle had ended, and somehow I didn't get trampled or speared and my companions had taken me to a hospital-type thing somewhere and I was being treated right now. Still, that wouldn't explain why I had needles in my arms.

I touched my face to make sure I was alive. There were more tubes on my face, a breathing tube of some sort that had been jammed up my nostrils. There were monitors on my chest and arms. Okay, not only was I alive, I wasn't even in Middle Earth anymore.

I started to panic. What was I doing _here_, wherever I was? Why wasn't I still fighting in that huge battle, with the guys, where they needed me? How do I get _back_? This was weird and wrong. I don't even know how I got here, what I'm doing here, what all this _stuff_ on me is. What's this throbbing pain in the back of my head? What's this beeping noise I'm hearing? This murmuring, this buzzing? These _lights_?

"_Kendra!_"

I know that voice. What the—

"Ohmygod Kennie, I thought you were dead!" screamed a girl, bounding into the room. It was Alicia, one of my friends from band. Behind her was another band buddy, Alexandra. Alexandra was standing outside a door and shouting things before she and Alicia bounded into the room. I stared wide-eyed at them.

"Where am I?" I said quietly.

"You're in the hospital," Alexandra replied. I cocked my head and opened my mouth to ask more questions, but then Lanna and Charlotte dashed into the room, screaming my name. Charlotte promptly hugged me tightly, but I was too confused and bewildered to push her away.

"Oh thank god you're alive, Kennie," Charlotte sighed. "We thought for sure you were a goner."

"I'm…so confused," I said.

"Where are Brittany, Jason, and Kayla?" Alexandra asked.

"They couldn't make it, but I just called them," Lanna answered.

"Hey, what—?" I said.

"Kennie, you were in a coma," Alicia said, nearly crying. Oh, so I was right. I _was_ in a coma, and I suppose my journey through Middle Earth was just a hallucination or a crazy dream of some sort.

"For how long?"

"A little over a week."

I grabbed at my forehead. Things were starting to add up, but just barely. It was taking me a while to grasp everything. How close I had gotten to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli…now I was never going to see them again.

_They weren't real. You were dreaming them._

And what a dream.

"I feel weird," I muttered.

"Well, _yeah_, you just woke up from a week-long _coma_," Alexandra said.

"What the hell happened?" I said. I couldn't really remember how I had found myself in this mess in the first place.

"We were going to band practice, and Madison hit you in the head with her tuba," Alicia said, nearly jumping out of her shoes. "She says she didn't see you there (probably because you're so short), but the whole thing was an accident and she's really, really sorry she almost killed you."

Oh yeah. All that. I could kind of remember what had happened now, digging in my memory past the Middle Earth stuff to the real world and what went down over a week ago. I still feel weird. I nodded a few times to let her know that I understood what she said. I remember now when Madison hit me with the tuba, and I blacked out. Of all the places I could have gone to, I had to go to Middle Earth. Of all the times I could have left, it had to be in the middle of a battle where they needed me most.

"How do I go back?" I said. My friends stared at me quizzically.

"Go where?" Lanna asked.

"To Middle Earth," I said. "They need me."

"Middle Earth?"

"What the hell are you _talking_ about?" Alexandra said. I looked around at them.

"Middle Earth," I repeated. "I was there for over a week."

"No, you were here," Charlotte said. "We all came and checked on you every day. You never left."

"Where's Middle Earth?" Alicia inquired.

"It's in the movie _Lord of the Rings_, Kennie's a big fan," Lanna said. "She must have projected herself into the time and setting while she was in the coma."

"Whoa cool!" Alicia shrilled. "Kennie, what was it like?"

It was still taking me a while to adjust. I was really out of it, nothing felt real, and I was still really confused. "What? Um, it was…it was really real," I answered. "I first woke up and I was in a forest, and it was cold."

"That would be all the air conditioning in the ambulance that picked you up, probably," Alexandra said. Well that would explain it. I figured I had arrived during Middle Earth's equivalent of winter or something.

"Well, then what?" Alicia asked.

"Well, then I was picked up by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli," I said. "They're characters in the movie." I had to explain it to them. I knew none of them had ever seen _Lord of the Rings_, which kills me a little bit inside. "They took care of me and let me come with them on their journey. It all seemed a bit unrealistic to me, so I figured that I had to be dead or something. I tried to call Charlotte on my cell phone, but I just got loud static."

"That'd be Alicia," Alexandra said. "She was first to the hospital and started screaming at you to wake up. You must have processed it as static."

"Interesting how you guys affect the outcome of my life in Middle Earth," I commented. "So, then, while I figured out that our setting was the second movie, Legolas and Gimli left the cave to hunt. Aragorn and I went to go find my backpack, which had gotten transported there with me somehow."

"Yeah, I brought it with me when I got here," Alicia said. "I figured that if you were around things that you remembered how they felt, how they smelled and stuff, it would bring you back. Did it work?"

"Um, no," I said. "But thanks for that. I got the map out of the back of my book and we used it a lot when we traveled."

"Huh," Alexandra said thoughtfully. "And here I thought that Alicia was just being an idiot."

"Let's see, then we were attack by an Orc once we got to the Glanduin River," I said, enjoying their confused faces.

"Probably Alicia being loud," Lanna said. "Did you kill the Orc?" I nodded. "That was probably the doctor making her leave." Alicia stared at me incredulously.

"You _killed_ me? KENNIE!" she shrieked.

"If I hadn't, you would have killed Aragorn and Legolas!" I retorted. "Then what? I would have been on my own and would have died then!"

"I think Alicia has a new nickname," Alexandra said, grinning.

"It's okay, Alicia's not important," Charlotte said. "Continue."

"Okay, well," I began, ignoring Alicia's faux-hurt look, "after I killed the Orc, we continued on to Fangorn Forest. We came across Gandalf, but everything was really bright, and I got dizzy and fell down."

"They had to relocate you once," Lanna said. "They were moving lights and stuff around, so maybe that's why it was so bright. Then they moved your bed into another room, and spun it a few times in the process, because all the guys who work here are idiots."

"Oh," I said. "Well, after that, I recovered slowly. I made our way into the Westfold, and eventually into Rohan. I kept getting dizzy, and I kept losing my senses. I thought I was sick or not rested enough or something."

"Oh well, you know, you almost died a few times," Lanna said. "In the real world."

"That _would_ explain it," Charlotte said.

"Yeah…" I said, thoughtfully, racking my brain for what came next. "Um, then Gandalf freed Théoden from the spell Wormtongue put on him, and we planned for this massive battle that was going to come. I had already seen the movies, so I knew what was going to happen. So they all thought I had this ability to see into the future, which I thought was the only reason they kept me with them. But I was helpful, so they let me help plan what they were going to do, like evacuate the whole city into Helms Deep. Then I caught Aragorn and Legolas making out."

"Ooo man-kissie action," Charlotte said as Alicia "ooo"ed. "Kennie, you sure have dirty dreams."

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that either," I said. "Well, after that, we left Rohan and made our way to Helms Deep, and along the way we were ambushed by Orcs. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten that something so important like that was supposed to happen. Maybe I lost some of my memory when I almost died?"

My friends shrugged. "Who knows?" Lanna said.

"Well, we were ambushed by Orcs, and I somehow found myself in the middle of it. But we survived, and all of us who didn't die joined the others at Helms Deep. We went through some battle plans, and I convinced Théoden to let me be up there on the wall fighting with the guys when the battle _did_ come since I knew the enemy's weaknesses and how to save Haldir."

"Keep in mind we have no idea who these people are," Alexandra said.

"Maybe you should keep yourselves up to speed," I said, taking the book from my backpack and throwing it at her. She threw it back to me. "So. Aragorn took me aside to teach me how to sword-fight. At one point, he nearly broke my wrist. Or, that's how it felt."

"What, a sharp stinging pain?" Alicia asked. I nodded. "That was this." She tapped the IV needle in my hand. "The doctor probably poked your wrist bone, because like Lanna said, all the guys who work here are idiots."

"I see," I said, staring at the needle. "Well, a while later, I found myself crying in a corner with no idea as to how I got there in the first place, and no idea about what I was crying about."

"Oh Kennie, you're so emo," Charlotte said.

"Well, obviously," Alexandra said. "But no, actually Kennie, you died for about four seconds."

I stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was saying. "I…was dead?"

"For a little bit," she said. "The doctors brought you back, but then you went right back into your coma."

Wow. That's…kind of scary. Makes sense why I was crying then. I don't like to think about dying, really. "All right then," I said. "Um, well, after that, the Elves came to our aid."

"You got a lot of visitors," Lanna said. "Your band friends came, your parents were hysterical, and your sister drove down here from her college to see you." I cringed. I hated people worrying about me.

"Great," I muttered. "So after that, we all got up on the wall to wait for the Orcs/Uruk-hai to come. It started raining."

"Alicia splashed water on you," Alexandra said. "For some reason, she thought it would wake you up."

"I see…" I said. "Well, the Uruk-hai came and attacked, and I was scared stiff. We did a lot of fighting, and then I got knocked over the wall. I woke up right before I hit the ground."

My friends nodded slowly. I had expected one of them to crack a joke about that, but no one said anything.

"Is that why you wanted to go back?" Lanna asked. "Because you woke up during the middle of the battle?"

"Yeah," I said. "I wanted to go back and finish fighting. I saved Haldir and whatnot, but I figured that the others still needed me."

"Kendra," Alexandra said. "They're not real."

"Well obviously," I shot back. "It's taking me a little bit to adjust to…to being here again. That's all."

"Well no one expects you to recover quickly," Lanna said. "You did go through a lot, you know."

"Yeah, I know," I said. Lanna rubbed my shoulders.

"Someone should get the doctor," Alexandra said. "They'll call your parents, and they'll get you checked out." I nodded once, slowly. She and Alicia left the room.

What an ordeal. Just as I was feeling wanted in Middle Earth, like I belonged, just when things were feeling right, I get dragged right out. At least things were exciting over there. What do I have to worry about here? College? Yeah, that's pretty scary, all right. Too bad I woke up when I did. I would have liked to have seen that battle through.

And now I'm back here. Back…where I belong, I guess. But now that I'm here, I'm feeling out of place again.

I wonder how long it'll take me to adjust again.

**.xXx.**

I was back in school two days later. There had been no mourning or prayers for me when I was gone, and there was no celebration when I came back (I wasn't expecting any). My friends were all the celebration I wanted or needed. Some "Welcome back"s from other classmates, some "How do you feel?"s from my teachers.

My teachers didn't expect me catch up on or make up the material I missed quickly, but then again, they didn't expect me to take my sweet ol' time on it either.

I was forced to drop out of marching band. In the week that I was gone, my band mates had finished learning the third movement, and with championships looming on the horizon, we decided that there wasn't enough time for me to learn the music or the drill in time for championships. Alicia and Alexandra were sad to see me go, but I assured them that I would be back next year.

On the plus side, drumline season would be starting up in about a month. My director joked around, asking if I was going to be well enough in time for it. I waved it off and said I would.

No tubas in drumline, but there _are_ guys walking around with big bass drums on. If I get attacked again, would I get projected back into the battle where I left off?

Heh.

**.xXx.**

Several hours later, I was at home instead of at band practice. It was kind of a weird feeling. After dinner, I blew off homework and said that my head was hurting. For some reason, I was in bed by 11pm. Aside from my head actually hurting, I guess I was just tired.

It didn't take me long to fall asleep.

And then just as quickly as I had fallen asleep, I was awake again. Everything started out white, but then died down to a gloomier pallet. It occurred to me then that I was back on the wall in Helms Deep. My instant reaction was that I was back in the battle and that I was dead again. But it so turns out that the wall was completely _empty._ No soldiers, no Orcs, no rain or fire, and no bodies anywhere. I was totally alone on the wall.

Or so I thought.

"Well _there_ you are."

I spun around. Aragorn was standing a few yards from me. Why hadn't I heard him approaching? Yet it was such a relief to see him again, to hear him again. I tried moving forward, but I was frozen.

"Am I dead or in some sort of coma again?" I asked, though I didn't expect him to know. And somehow he did.

Aragorn shook his head. "No, just asleep," he said. "You put yourself back here, because you kept wondering what happened with the battle. Is that right?"

"Yes, very," I said. "I've been dying to know. When I woke up in the hospital, I actually asked how to go back. I hated knowing that I had left that battle in the middle of it."

"You didn't miss much," Aragorn said. "Haldir survived, thanks to you. We held off the offense long enough for Gandalf and the Riders of Rohan to arrive and clear out the rest. But Kendra, don't worry about missing out on the action. You were our most powerful asset and most useful weapon not just during the battle, but throughout the entire journey up until that point."

I smiled and sighed. It was so refreshing to hear him say that.

"You didn't have a choice, waking up when you did," he said. "Legolas says you were knocked over the wall."

"Yeah, I was," I replied. "I woke up right before I hit." I looked around. "Speaking of which, where _is_ Legolas? And Gimli?" Aragorn shrugged.

"I'm only a figment of your dream," he said. "I guess you wanted to talk to me more than you wanted to talk to them."

I blushed, slightly angry at myself. I would have liked to see them as well, but I guess it's true that I wanted to talk to Aragorn the most. It was always easier to confide in him. Wonder why that was…

"I guess so," I said. He smiled and nodded his head at me.

"How's the head?"

I put a hand on the back of my head. "Um, it's okay, I guess. I'm getting better."

"Would it have been worth it to sustain another injury just to stay in the battle and see it through?" he asked. I was kind of surprised by his question.

"Maybe," I answered. "The injury I would be sustaining might cause brain damage later on down the line (depending on what it was), but I really wanted to stay in the battle."

"It was dangerous," he said. "I was worried just to have you there, even when you were standing so close to me."

"I was aware of the danger, and I still would rather have been on the wall than down in the mountains," I said. "Everything I went through was worth it. But it kills me that I wasn't there for you guys, that you weren't there for me." He laughed slightly.

"Oh, Kendra," he said, walking over to me. "Don't beat yourself up about it. You did all you could, and we're more than grateful. You couldn't help waking up when you did, and we were sad to see you go too. But the battle ended like it should have." I nodded slowly.

"So what now?"

"The rest of us have moved on to Isengard," Aragorn said. "Anything else we should know about?"

I thought this through. I wanted to tell him to keep Pippin away from the Seeing Eye, but if Pippin never has that confrontation with Sauron, then he and Gandalf will never go to Gondor, and Gondor will get screwed over without them. Plus, if Pippin never lights the beacon on fire, then Rohan won't go to their aid and Gondor will _definitely _get screwed over. I looked at Aragorn and smiled.

"I'm sure you guys will do just fine," I said. He cocked his head at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I still have your map," he said. "Would you like it back?"

"Nah, go ahead and keep it," I replied. "I have another one just like it. Besides, you guys could use that on your journey. I'd hate to keep it from you, after it's helped you so much already."

"All right, then," he said. "I don't know if we'll ever see each other again. So thank you for all your help, Kendra. Take care of yourself, and don't do anything too stupid, right?"

I closed my eyes as he took my face in his hands and kissed me on the forehead.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in my bed. It was nighttime. I glanced at my clock. It was just after 3am. I rolled over and sighed. I had to take his words into consideration, among other things. That dream I had while I was in the coma wasn't real. I'm still grateful for the experience, though, to have experienced everything first-hand rather than just reading about it or watching it on the big screen.

I can't say I'd ever want to repeat the experience, because that would most likely require me being nearly dead again. So if I never see the guys again, I'm okay with that. I can always just watch the trilogy over and over and smile, knowing that I was once there with them.

Content, I closed my eyes and fell asleep again.

End Chapter 10

End "Into Middle Earth"

I can't exactly say that I'm happy with the way this ended. But everything went as according to plan, so I'm happy with that. above everything else, I'm SOOOO glad I finally finished revising this stupid story! Now I can go work on everything else I've been neglecting DX  
Thanks to everyone who stuck through with me during this story. i appreciate you guys taking the time to read this. It'd be even better if you reviewed, too. : )  
So please review, tell me what you think. And I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
